y
Generation
Contents 4
Editor’s Note 6 Never Say Never 8 Oral Stories of the Past at Present, to Future 12 Y Dreams to Box: Macao’s 1st Professional Boxer
56 Unusual Undergraduate 61 Y Care ‘Likes’
15 Attitude of Directing Your Success
62 Y study U?
18 ‘Life was Like a Box of Chocolates...’
64 New Trend of 90s: Selfies
22 We Don’t Follow Our Dreams, We Chase them
65 Y You Dressed Like That?
26 Post 90s’ Political Participation
68 Rock Our Dreams No Matter Where We Are
30 Post 90s’ Art in the City of Casinos
70 Y is ‘Moonlight Clan’?
35 The Bigger His Dream, The Wider His Arena
72 Y to be ‘Strawberry Generation’?
38 ‘Fake Literary Youth’
75 Y star-struck: What Type of Fans are You?
42 We Are New Here
81 Y You Volunteer
44 Love or Bread?
84 Travelling by Bike: ‘We May Not Be Fast’
45 Face to Face is Not Their Way
86 ‘All These Did Sound Like a Dream for Me, But All Came True’
46 Facebook Secret Page: Good or Not?
88 Generation Y: We are Confused about Future
48 Purchasing Agents: Profit Goes Along with Problems
90 Y Memorable....Y to be a Nurse?
49 Reasons to Shop Online
92 People of Macao
50 The ‘Remarkable’ Internet
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52 Money or Grades? 54 Y Belief, I Believe...
96 Old Generation Give Us Grades
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Editor’s note “Each new generation is inferior to the last one,” an old Chinese saying probably heard and repeated by most of you. We always think that our previous generations are outdated and they cannot understand us. Meanwhile, we perceive that things our next generations do are somehow too novel or extreme that we cannot accept. This fall issue of Umac Bridges introduces you to generation Y. Particularly we focus on people born in the 1990s. These young people, including us, Meh Production, have started or are about to exert influence on society. You may have certain stereotypes on different generations. However, I believe you will have a new perspective or a deeper understanding of generation Y in Macao after reading this issue. All these stories help you as well as ourselves discover what we are. Umac Bridges is a campus publication as well as an academic project produced by 4th year English Communication students in the Department of Communication, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau (UM). Through this publication, students can apply skills of journalism, desktop publishing, web design and event planning and implementation which they have learned throughout the academic years to an actual project. The aim of this publication is to cultivate the sense of news of UM students and call their attention to issues happening around them. The magazine also has an online version which experiments with some multimedia news stories. On behalf of our production team, I would like to give special thanks to our course instructor, Prof. Wu Mei and our teaching assistant, Elsa Ip for their full support. Our gratitude also goes to all the people who have helped in producing this publication. Last but not least, I hope every one of you will enjoy this issue of Umac Bridges and keep supporting us. Chief Editor,
Kam Leong 4 | bridges fall 2013
y
SO SERIOUS bridges fall 2013 |5
Y so serious
I always remind myself that I must learn to be modest because pride goes before a fall.
A
Never say Never
By Wilson Sin
u Ieong Sin Ieng, 24, is an athlete who has been practicing synchronized swimming for over 10 years and now is one of the key members of the Macao synchronized swimming team. She has participated in the National Games of the People’s Republic of China for four times and FINA World Championship for five times.
According to Au Ieong, her old teammates left due to different reasons. However, she is not going to give up synchronized swimming. She still wants to join the next Asian Games. “I think this may be my last dream and mission before I get into another stage of my life,” said Au Ieong.
The first time that Au Ieong got to know synchronized swimming was when she was eight. “In order to maintain good health, my mum sent me to learn swimming and dancing when I was in primary school,” Au Ieong said. “As synchronized swimming started to get noticed at that time, my swimming instructor asked me to join. Thus, I became one of the first generation of synchronized swimming athletes.”
Au Ieong said that she gained a lot from synchronized swimming. For instance, she acquired much experience through participating in different competitions; she became more mature as she had to overcome many difficulties during the training. Moreover, she learnt how to be a responsible person.
Years later, Au Ieong found that her enthusiasm in synchronized swimming was so strong that she wanted to be a professional athlete after her graduation from junior high. However, being a professional athlete in Macao was too risky that her mother disagreed with that idea and suggested her to focus on her study first. “There were no professional athletes in Macao at that time, so there was no support from the government or the Swimming Federation as well. That was why my mother did not encourage me to be a professional athlete,” said Au Ieong. She enjoys practicing synchronized swimming. Being the most experienced member in the team, she recognizes that she has responsibility to lead the young teammates and think more for them. “Fortunately, we have built up a good relationship through these years. It reminds me that I have them, I am not alone,” she smiled.
As one of key members of the Macao synchronized swimming team, she has been covered extensively by local media. However, she denies she is the special one. On the contrary, she always emphasizes that she is just a common person. “I feel grateful that I could have many opportunities in my life. All these opportunities have made my life smoother and happier.” Getting along with her post-90’s teammates, Au Ieong thinks that they are all talented and creative. “Living under the new digital era, children in this generation can have many platforms to get information and have much more space to have creative thinking. Nevertheless, it also has some shortcomings. As they have many choices, they don’t know what they really want,” said Au Ieong. “If they can pay more attention and put more effort on doing things, I believe that they can have a bright future.”
Parts of the photos offered by the interviewee
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Y so serious
Oral Stories of the Past at Present, to Future
By Vanlita Lei
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Y so serious
“I hope that every little story about Macao can be promoted so as to let people learn history with fun”
“I am young, I want to challenge myself” Yuen graduated from the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) with Bachelor in Heritage Management. During his university years, he was already a volunteer in OHM. After graduation, he worked in a bank for almost one and a half years. “I thought this was not my ambition,” said Yuen. In 2013, Lam Fat Iam, president of OHM, invited him to take charge of curatorship of Macau Story House. “I remember Lam asked if I could quit my current stable job and accept a new job which did not seem to have promotion at all,” said Yuen. “I am young, I want to challenge myself.” Finally, he took the chance to begin his ambition and he felt lucky to have a job related to his professional field.
Leonardo Yuen,
Curator of Macau Story House and vice director of the Oral History Association of Macao (OHM)
“I hope that every little story about Macao can be promoted so as to let people learn history with fun, take history as their common knowledge and get more chances to know about Macao,” Leonardo Yuen, 23 years old, curator of Macau Story House and vice director of the Oral History Association of Macao (OHM), shared his expectation for Macau Story House and Macao’s cultural and creative industry.
Now he has taken over Macau Story House for three months. According to Yuen, his routine work includes receiving visitors, arranging educational activities and doing research on history. “I really enjoy my new job because I can apply my knowledge and skills gained from my study and experience here,” he said. “I just want to put my efforts in OHM, St.Lazarus Church District and Macao’s cultural and creative industry,” he added with a smile.
Memory Style Home Oral history is one of the ways to collect historical information about individuals, families, important events or everyday life by using audiotapes, videotapes or transcriptions of interviews. “We decided to build up a store to share our achievements in oral history study,” said Yuen. Inside the “store”, there are mainly three areas which are the reading area, the sales and display area and the cultural salon area. There are over 1,400 books in the reading area. They are categorized into local books, oral histories and art design. “We have already attracted some frequent visitors and they enjoy reading here,” said Yuen. The sales and display area is not only a place for the “newborn” local artists to consign their works, but also a place for them to gain experience and inspiration so that they can cultivate their designing style gradually. The cultural salon area is for short-term exhibitions about stories of Macao via different kinds of media and different themes. “I’m impressed by the vintage style decoration in the Macau Story House. It’s attractive and I enjoy spending time learning here,” Sun, a visitor said.
Macau Story House is an inspirational venue which is not just about history studies but also aims to popularize the history of Macao and local artistic creations. Located in the St.Lazarus Church District, it was founded in 2012 as a project of OHM.
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Y so serious
“Hold on to your dream when you’re able to, especially when you’re young” “Hold on to your dream when you’re able to, especially when you’re young,” said a young man who suspended his study to chase his dream to be a professional boxer - a story about making use of opportunity to make the dream come true.
“At that time, I usually practiced one to two hours after school. For me, it was more like a leisure activity. I spent less time on the computer so I got time for the practice,” said Ng as he recalled his first few years of boxing training, “later, I quit for two years for my studies.”
He is Ng Kuok Kun, whose name may not be familiar to most of the people but he is a rising star in Macao’s boxing scene. After winning his very first World Boxing Council (WBC) championship this May, he devoted himself to becoming the first professional boxer in Macao.
However, that was not the only time that he stopped practicing, according to Ng, he quit for another two-year term when he was in senior high for the same reason.
Ng was first introduced to combat sports by his brother when he was 15. At first, he played varieties of combat sport, but not boxing specifically. “I was playing combat sports just to strengthen my health, I didn’t intend to be a professional boxer back then,” Ng said.
Y Dreams to Box:
After graduation from high school, Ng entered the School of Physical Education and Sports in Macao Polytechnic Institute (IPM). It was that time he realized that he had to get back to where he was from -- boxing. “At the beginning, I didn’t think about any achievements. I just wanted to be a PE teacher and that was it,” Ng claimed, “however, for my major, everyone needs to have a kind of sports which he/she is good at. I realized mine was boxing, nothing else. So I returned to the ring.”
Macao’s 1st Professional Boxer
By Kam Leong
Parts of the photos offered by the interviewee
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Y so serious “Compared to national team boxers, mine is only half of their training load,” Ng said. Apart from the strenuous training, financial stability is another obstacle. “For a junior dealer in casinos, you can get around MOP15,000 per month. For me, without records and titles, I can only earn around MOP7000 for each game.” Ng revealed honestly the hardness in supporting his living. Nevertheless, his determination motivates him to go on, “My family is against it but this is a precious opportunity. Some people have been boxing for 20 years but still are not able to fight in a single professional game.”
"I don’t want to lose, but most importantly, I don’t want to do something that I won’t be able to do best. "
When asked about his future plan, Ng replied, “I want to do my best as I can. I want to be the champion for once in my weight category, like Rex Tso, the young professional boxer with WBC Asian Continental Title in Hong Kong. Also, I want to stand up for this industry, making it more appreciated and popular in society.” In Ng’s boxing journey, besides his own efforts and the opportunities received, Ng has one person whom he owed his gratitude to---his coach, Chan Yuk Sing, “I want to thank my coach for always being there for me all these 10 years. He’s like family to me. He always supports me. He has turned a boy like me who knew nothing about boxing into a professional boxer. It was him who made me realize we young people must fight for our life and our dreams.”
However, as a full time student, Ng was not able to practice boxing as much as he wanted. During the preparation for the professional WBC competition, he could only practice for two to three hours per day. Although he won the championship, he realized that he still has more to improve, “For example, the time for training wasn’t enough and I also had to manage my studies. All these made me not able to concentrate so I thought if I wanted to perform at my best to develop this career, I have to focus only on one thing.” The idea had stuck in Ng’s mind until he got a surprising invitation, “I was invited by the Venetian to participate in another boxing championship. So I told myself that it’s a must for me to go fulltime,” said Ng. Ng explained, “I don’t want to lose, but most importantly, I don’t want to do something that I won’t be able to do best. If I’m still holding that part-time attitude in professional fights, it’d be a dishonor to me, to my family and to all my supporters.” However, this road is more challenging than others. Ng has been training for at least five hours a day, which includes energy-consuming activities, such as a 10 kilometer run every morning.
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Attitude of Directing Your Success
By Anthea Tam
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Y so serious
Fortunately, the program was a great success. It was popular among high school students and it also brought a lot of job opportunities to him. U said that the good result of Acem360 gave him confidence to keep going in this industry.
U Chong Hin,
Director Aecm360
U
Chong Hin, 23, director of an online TV program Aecm360 (青莘360), graduated from the Queensland University of Technology in Australia, majoring in Film and TV production. He is now the managing director of Pride Entertainment Productions. “I love creative works but actually film production was not my first choice. I wanted to study journalism at the very beginning. However, I found that words could no longer attract people because this generation seldom reads. Hence, I decided to study film production instead,” said U. During the period in the university, U had several part time jobs. One day, an opportunity came to him when he came back to Macao in the summer of 2010. At that time, he got a part time job at Aomen.tv and was asked to make a music video for a Macao local singer. The MV Thousands of Autumns became popular after it was broadcast on YouTube, making people start to set eyes on this young local director. “For sure, this MV is the most important
According to U, there was a big change in his working style after setting up the company. “I became the decision maker of the company. In order to run the company, I have to attend many meetings. Therefore, I feel so sorry for my parents that I have no time to accompany them,” U said.
production in my life. I would have had nothing without this MV. It helped me to develop my career in the Macao market and made people start to know who I am. I feel lucky and glad that I could have this opportunity while I was still a university student,” said U. After his graduation, U worked as a freelancer and cooperated with the General Association of Chinese Students of Macao. He decided to produce a new online TV program with them. That is Acem36. Acem360 is an online TV program which provides interesting campus news stories and the latest information of different schools for Macao high school students.
Months ago, U established his own company. The main orientation of the company is to develop an online TV station. “After producing the educational circle program for a long time, I would like to try something new. Many different types of programs will be produced in the future and teenagers are still my target audience. I wish that my company would be recognized by people soon,” said U.
“No matter for study or work, attitude means everything. Always maintain a serious attitude and try your best, success will come to you then.”
“Acem360 was really a big task for me,” U described. “Since nobody had made this kind of program before, no one knew if it would work or not. Honestly, it was quite risky to have this decision. Therefore, I had to think of more details and had more preparation before I started working on this program. Besides, I took the rating seriously. I remembered that I was not the only one, but also the whole crew, felt nervous when the first episode was broadcast on YouTube.
As a post 90s person, U denied that he is successful. “I am just the lucky one,” U smiled, adding, “Many people are more successful than me. I still have many things to learn and a long way to go. Since nobody knows how to be successful, what I can do is to try my best.” U also wants to encourage all the young people that no matter what difficulties they encounter in life, they should never give up easily. “It doesn’t matter if you are not perfect as long as you do your best,” said U.
Parts of the photos offered by the interviewee
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Y so serious
Life was Like a Box of
“
Chocolates...’ By Bo Lou
Parts of the photos offered by the interviewee
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Y so serious
Who knows what will happen tomorrow, my life likes to surprise me. Luckily the turning point of his life happened when he was 17; he found a job in a financial company. In the company, he started to meet a lot of friends who were much older than him. Everyday these seniors would tell him a great deal of life experiences and taught him how to face difficulties. Leong said that at that time when he went to work every day, it was like going to a life school. He loved his job and the colleagues. And he once again found hope in his life.
Inky Leong
the Head of the Women’s Wear Department of Hermès , who writes for Macao Magazine Soda
There is a line in the movie of “Forrest Gump”, “Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” Inky Leong might be the best example of this saying. Leong may not have the most dramatic life in the world, but his life is definitely meant to be extraordinary. Leong, who is now only 24, is already the Head of the Women’s Wear Department of Hermès and also one of the writers of the Macao Magazine Soda. But what has made him so special is that he is a person who only had primary school education. Leong learnt the lesson of life that was full of
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surprises when he was only 15 years old. His mother suddenly made a decision to leave her only son and went to London alone. And in the following morning, Leong found himself waking up in an empty house. “That period of time was the most depressing moment in my life. I thought the world had abandoned me,” Leong said. And misfortunes never come singly. During the darkest moment of Leong, he found himself no longer wanting to continue his study at school, so he stopped his school life when he was only a Form 2 student. He was so lost during that period of time and he even started to take drugs.
When everything seemed finally going on smoothly, the financial crisis hit the world without a warning and Leong lost his job as his company went bankrupt. After being unemployed, he decided to use up all his saving to go to Europe for a long trip. “When I was far away from my hometown, I looked up to the sky; I began to think this was really a big world and I thought I could be a better person,” Leong said. After the European trip, Leong made a big u-turn. He went back to Macao and found a job immediately in a complete-
ly different field, fashion. He once again created a miracle because he became the youngest Store Manager of Vivien Westwood when he was only 20 years old. Not for long, another surprise came. As he continued working in the field of fashion, he discovered that he had a talent in that. So he started to build up his own blog on the Internet, and in a short period of time, several Hong Kong fashion blogs started to invite him to write for them. And his popularity grew unexpectedly. Later, his friends introduced him to the chief editor of Soda, who invited Leong to be a permanent writer of the magazine. Being a successful man now, Leong wants to thank his mother and everyone he has met because all those life episodes have made him grow into a mature man. “I think nobody ever thought that I could be so accomplished right now, even I did not see that coming, but who knows what will happen tomorrow, you know, my life likes to surprise me!” Leong said with a big smile.
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Y so serious
We Don’t
Follow Our Dreams, We Chase them By Victoria Lei
“One day we will make a difference,” 10 years ago, three high school friends promised to each other. 2013, the three young fellows set sail for their dreams. Larm’s Legend, a local apparel brand founded this year, has brought Macao a stream of incentives and unlimited creativities. The three founders, Sergio Lao, Nino Chan and Sam Tam hope to push their utmost to enhance the status of potential young designers by providing them a quality display platform to develop their ideal. Lao explains the concept behind the brand: “Larm’s” stands for no meaning, we create meaning for that. The concept behind “legend” is that it could either be a story of a miracle or gossip of failure. Achievements determine your success. “Persistence makes dreams come true”. Larm’s Legend gathers professionals from different areas of knowledge, sparing no effort to promote the local fashion trend. Specifically, it teams up with Macao local designers to create a set of unique fashion products that no one has ever done in Macao. They believe all their dreams can be brought to life.
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Y so serious
Taki Wong , a university student of mix design in IPM, and Sum Mio, who works as a teacher, both are post-90s, share their fashion design experience in Larm’s. Let’s listen to their stories about how young designers are given opportunities to explore their talents. As a post-90s designer, how do you view yourself and this growing group in Macao? Tell us why you decided to work in Larm’s Legend at the beginning? Wong: I was invited by Sergio, one of the founders. He knew that I was interested in design when we met, but he didn’t know if I would go to study design or not. Yet he invited me to join, I saw the opportunity, without hesitation I said yes. Mio: Once I was shopping with my sisters and we passed by this shop, I was attracted by its local design products. I started to find out more about this brand and noticed that they were looking for designers, I took this chance and joined.
What are the differences you feel about working here?
Taki Wong
Designers are not constructers, we create ideas, not follow.
Wong: I think among other local brands in Macao, we have the most number of young designers from different backgrounds. Here we communicate and share ideas, our goals and directions are decided by folks of our age. Designers have free spirit, if we’re restricted and made to follow, it’s not design at all. Our bosses never consider us as “employees”, instead they call us “partners”. I appreciate their trust and the chance to explore what a post-90s can do before we step into society. Mio: I have to admit that they really provide us a big freedom to do what we want. Ideas are not restricted and I don’t feel stressful .As one of the founders, Lao said, “Designers are not constructers, we create ideas, not follow.” I find my own way of looking at things here. I find satisfaction and I learn a lot from the passionate founders.
What difficulties did you encounter at the early stage? Wong: At first I was not confident and worried about the disparity between me and those experienced designers since I was new and not qualified enough. It took me sometime to organize my thoughts and luckily my partners supported us a lot. Mio: I studied arts in university. Design is more restricted compared with arts, as it needs to consider customers’ comments and requirements. So I’ve learned how to accept and improve my design since I started working here.
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Wong: I think parts of the 90s are tagged with a negative image and description, but that doesn’t cover the whole group. I don’t agree with that, I am creative and passionate in my dreams, which makes me who I am. In this age of Internet, multimedia inspires us a lot; it’s a balance between the old and the new. Mio: Honestly, I love to play. However, this characteristic is an advantage in design. We are eager to discover new elements, what designers are afraid of most is “boredom”. Our persistence is a gift when we’re focusing on our interest, and we love subculture. This makes our generation unique and irreplaceable. I enjoy having my own style.
Do you think the Macao government should give more incentives to the local cultural and creative industries? Wong: Recently the Macao government has facilitated more incentive measures to local cultural business, which is good for us. Neighboring Hong Kong has many successful samples for us to take reference from. I do believe that the cultural business in Macao has a potential to be successful like other big cities. Mio: It helps a lot if the government is willing to help and patronize, since we (the 90s) are growing up and are ready to step into society. We will consider whether to stay or go abroad to develop. If Macao provides more opportunities for us, for sure we would want to concentrate more here and contribute to society.
In your opinion, what can be done to change the stereotype in Macao, including the 90s and aesthetics?
Sum Mio
Our persistence is a gift when we’re focusing on our interest
Wong: We have to be good enough to change the future of Macao, practice makes perfect. Computer provides tons of information, but not the whole world. We should keep dreaming and discovering inspiration from life, and work out everything with passion. Mio: We should always go traveling; all discoveries come from daily observation, read more and broaden our view, attend to news and emerging trends. Be disobedient, willing to be your own person is the best way to influence others.
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Y so serious
Post-90s’ Political Participation By Dawn Chen, Ck Lao, Katherine Ying, Elizabeth Li
S
peaking of politics, probably most people would consider it as affairs engaged in by elder citizens. Although it is promising to see generation Y showing their ambition in participating in political activities, youths in general are less enthusiastic about politics in Macao.
Did you participate in any political activities?
6%
NO YES
Sou Ka Hou, candidate of 2013 AL Election
Low political participation For most people, the low political participation of generation Y in Macao is not a new story. A survey jointly released by the Macao Youth Politics Training Program Committee and the Macao Polling Research Association in August of this year showed that 70% of the 800 respondents - aged between 13 and 29 - chose to keep silent about public issues. To examine the interest and political participation of young people in Macao, we conducted an online survey on Facebook in October, 2013. Among the 118 respondents, only 6% reported they had participated in protests, petition submissions, political forums, policy seminars or other forms of political activities. The result found that people who participated in public issues mostly did so in the form of discussions, and seldom moved on to take other forms of action. In the 2013 Legislative Assembly (AL) Election, over 57% of the eligible young people did not vote, nearly half of them did not even register as a voter. Lei Kit Ha and Fu Sut Teng, sophomores of University of Macau (UM), both stated that social issues had nothing to do with them. “My friends won’t talk about social issues with me. Probably influenced by them, I pay little attention to these affairs either,” Fu said.
Exploring reasons Based on interpretations of our interviewees, including legislature candidates, scholars and university students, we discovered three factors that are attributed for Macao young people’s indifference towards politics: namely, a lack of education that fosters political awareness, local media’s inability to set the news agenda and the uniqueness of political environment in Macao.
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94% Did you vote for 2013 Al Election? NO YES
57%
43%
In addition, Lei argued that local media should also be blamed for the youth apathy towards politics. He said that the media landscape in Macao is mainly dominated by Hong Kong media and local media are incapable of setting news agenda for local politics. On one hand, the public attention is mostly distracted by news from Hong Kong. On the other hand, local media place an emphasis on entertainment news, thus programs of current political and social affairs can hardly be seen. Specifically, Sou pointed out that media has little coverage of AL’s routine meetings. In other words, young people know little about operations or discussions of the AL. “How can we ask someone to participate without telling him/her the details?” Sou added.
Did you register as a voter? NO YES
42% 58%
Sou Ka Hou, a post-90s candidate of the 2013 AL Election, criticized the lack of education concerning the election. According to him, the election issue was seldom taught by high school teachers, especially in religious schools. Additionally, students were only given information of particular candidates who most likely had “special connections” with their schools. As a result, they lost interest in such a “dirty election game” when they became eligible voters. Lei Chin Pang, senior instructor of Department of Communication of UM, agreed with Sou’s point of view. He added that “morality cultivation”, which is a major educational focus in most high schools, cannot be equated with “civic education”. Lei said the issues or knowledge of politics are mostly not covered in high schools.
Last but not least, the uniqueness of political environment in Macao is another factor which undermines young people’s political participation. “Macao’s politics is very unique because it is dominated by traditional merchant powers. The result of this election, once again, has confirmed this point. Even the newly-elected young legislators are all backed by old powers,” said Lei. “There is no doubt that young people may be demobilized as they feel that there is nothing they can do to change the current political setting.” Cheong Hoi Kuan, another post-90s candidate, stressed that the government should be accountable for creating more opportunities as well as a fairer society for younger generation to participate in political affairs.
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Y so serious
More expectations on Macao young people Lei regarded the participation of young candidates as a “good trend”, adding that it brought new ideas and perspectives to the dull political circle. “It also serves as a motivation for young people to make a change,” said Lei, which is in line with the intention of Sou and Cheong. Sou said, “As a post-90s candidate, I want to convey a message to them, that is, young people with ideals, opinions, and appeals can definitely speak for themselves.” He advised post-90s to pay more attentions to our society. “I am not saying that you need to go as far as being an election candidate like me, but to be concerned with your neighborhood with more public consciousness.” Cheong highlighted the idea, “Challenge the unfair system, post-90s youths refuse to remain silent.” in his political platform. “It is not necessary to serve in the government in order to change society,” Cheong said. “Instead, I believe that everyone could do something for society no matter how young you are.”
Lei Chin Pang, senior instructor of Department of Communication of UM
Young candidates set role models Though the trend leads to the political apathy in Macao, there are some post-90s who are motivated to make some progress for society. As one of those youngest faces running for the election, Cheong Hoi Kuan’s concern about political issues was fostered through the days he spent in a debate team of the university, which benefited him both in his capability and experience in political participation. “Our topics of debate are always related to political issues. Since then, I began to think more about these affairs.” Now he has a part-time job as a debate mentor at a junior school and expects to stimulate more concerns among youngsters over public affairs through debate. Another candidate, Sou Ka Hou has just graduated from university this year. His candidature in the AL Election is not achieved in one move. During his study life in the National Taiwan University, Sou already showed a high political awareness, devoting himself into a campaign which urged the Taiwanese authorities to simplify the administrative procedures that Hong Kong and Macao students had to go through before being allowed to leave Taiwan. Sou’s efforts finally paid off. Citing Macao Daily Times, Taiwan’s Ministry of Education announced in October that students from Hong Kong and Macao will be able to leave Taiwan without obtaining a written permission from their universities.
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Cheong Hoi Kuan, candidate of 2013 AL Election
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Y so serious
What else is left in this city besides casinos? Many people questioned, while some others claimed, “We got more than that, like the culture and art industry.” Generation Y - a generation that grew up in the years of Macao is experiencing a gigantic change. How do they see the development of art in this gambling city?
Post 90s’ Art in the
velopment of art in Macao is still at the beginning stage though the subsidies from the government have increased in the recent years.
“They are trying to bring art into society so everyone can see and learn about it. It is good for a long-term development of course. It may Fok Hoi Seng is a 23-year-old local artist. Some stimulate children’s interests in art and some of pieces of his art series Paradise were selected them may study art when they grow up,” said Fok. in an international illustration exhibition, known as the Oscar’s in illustration field - The Bologna Fok perceived the root of the slow development Children’s Book Fair 2013. of art lies in the fact that people have low interest in art. “Frankly, it is very easy to build a worldAs the first illustrator in Macao winning this kind class art museum in Macao. However, how many of international award, Fok considered the de- people will visit there? From my experience, peo-
By Kam Leong Anthea Tam Cat Leong Vanlita Lei
City of Casinos
ple in Western countries are more willing to pay a few hundred dollars for the entrance fee and queue for art exhibitions. Here in Macao, the entrance fee only costs a few dollars, but still, there are not many museum goers,” Fok said with a slight frustration. According to an online survey on generation Y’s opinions on Macao art industry, which was conducted by Year 4 English Communication students at University of Macau in October, nearly 80% of the 84 respondents hold positive attitudes towards the development of art. “I noticed the promotion of art events from the government is more visible than before. It helps attracting people to participate in these events, at least it works on me,” said Crystal Lee, a Year 1 university student.
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Y so serious
Freshmen’s registration in bachelor courses of culture and art “As I observe, people here always complain about casinos blocking developments of other industries. I disagree with it. For the art industry, if you open your eyes wider, you can see there are tons of different kinds of arts in the casinos, even in their restrooms,” said Cristiano Tavares, a 25-year-old Portuguese who moved to Macao one year ago.
1000 2012/2013
800
2011/2012
2010/2011
Moreover, more than 50% of the respondents said they attended art courses outside schools. And nearly 60% said that schools did not provide enough opportunities for them to develop art. However, Fok noticed many schools in Macao are placing more resources in art. “When I was a high-school student, well, it was only a few years ago, there were not many schools having professional art facilities for students. But now, most of them have,” said Fok.
600
2009/2010
400
200
0
Fok also pointed out that casinos actually boost the development of art, “The casinos hold art exhibitions occasionally. And they collect many pieces of art, most of which are very valuable.” According to the data offered by Tertiary Education Services Office (GAES), the number of freshmen registering in bachelor courses of culture and art keeps increasing each year. There were 638 freshmen in 2011/2012, around 30% more than that of 2010/2012. Apart from that, the number of attendance to culture and art exhibitions in 2012 reached almost 150,000, a big jump from 2011, when the number was only around 60,000, by Statistics and Census Service (DSEC). “The industry is getting more appreciated. Yet, to its well-developed stage, it requires efforts of more than one generation. We may only see this a few decades later, no one knows. Anyway, I am confident in the art industry in Macao,” concluded Fok.
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Y so serious
The Bigger His Dream, The Wider His Arena
Eric , Fok Hoi Seng
Date of birth: 1990/12/3 Career: Artist Outstanding talent: Arts - illustration
The World-class Illustration - Paradise Paradise, a collection of illustrations created by Fok Hoi Seng, is a blend of Macao ancient maps and modern social problems. The idea appeared in Fok’s mind in 2011, when he wondered what it would be like if the traffic problems nowadays happened 100 years ago, “Two-thirds of land in Macao is reclamation. Macao was only a little fishing village many years ago. If you wanted to go to Taipa from Macao, you had to take a ferry. I wonder if people then ever imagined we could even walk to Taipa a few hundred years later,” said Fok. Facing the insolvable traffic problem, Fok decided to put numerous buses in one of the ancient maps, as a way of complaint. That is Paradise No.11, one of the illustrations selected in The Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2013.
Macao not equals to casinos
Everything Fok draws is about Macao. Hence, he wants to hold his exhibitions in other places so more people will know about this city. “In whatever places I have been to, when I mentioned Macao, people would say it is a casino city. I wish people would change to say Macao is a city of taste and culture one day,” Fok hoped.
Everyone has their own paradise
“For outsiders, Macao is developing very well. Everyone seems to have a stable job and a prosperous life. You can hardly be unemployed, but is this kind of the life in your paradise? It is easy to earn money in Macao, but can money buy happiness? Not really. You sometimes cannot reach your paradise even if you are rich. The paradise in everyone’s mind is different.”
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Parts of the photos offered by the interviewee
By Henry Lei
Biography:
試左先 , 唔試一定無 。
You will get nothing only if you try.
1990: Born in Macao 2008: Work in Macao Art Museum 2012: Graduation from the Macao Polytechnic Institute (Bachelor of Visual Art – Fine Arts/Art Education)
Expectation: He mentioned that it is difficult to be a fulltime artist in Macao but he is determined to keep doing what he likes to do.
Unforgettable moment: He feels amazed that his illustrations can be shown in the Government House, Central Government Offices in Macao.
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Y so serious
Excellent achievement:
Arts-related activities 2007 • Macao Fringe Festival Waiting for You around the Corner. Local Students • Street Signs Creation Exhibition • Visão multifacetadaexposiçãoEducativo, Zizhan Gallery Collections 2008 • Yangshuo Landscape Exhibition, St. Paul Corner 2012 • Ox Warehouse: Macao, Free Individual Travel… How Much Free? A Contemporary Art Exhibition • IACM, Macau: XXVIII The Artist Collective Exhibition of Macau • Hong Kong: Hong Kong Contemporary Art Expo, Park Lane Hotel, Hong Kong • MGM, Macau: Discovery –A Creative Journey Through The Works of 20 Macao Contemporary Artists @ MGMMACAU • Forum de Macau: Colorful Universe – Collective Exhibition of Macau and Hebei Artists, • AFA Macau: WAVES –AFA 5th Anniversary Members’ Exhibition • Oriente Foundation, Macau: AFA Autumn Salon 2012 • Macao Polytechnic Institute, Macao: Taiwan Macao International Art Exchange Exhibition
2013 • Taipei, Taiwan: Paradise-Fok Hoi Seng Solo Exhibition • Ishikawa Nanao Art Museum, Nanao, Japan: Bologna Illustration Exhibition • Itabashi Museum, Tokyo, Japan: Bologna Illustration Exhibition • Otani Memorial Art Museum, Nishinomiya, Japan: Bologna Illustration Exhibition • Kawara Museum, Takahama, Japan: Bologna Illustration Exhibition • Bologna, Italy: Bologna Illustration Exhibition • HKCEC, Hong Kong: Affordable Art Fair HK • New York, USA: Affordable Art Fair New York
Awards • 2012, Oriente Foundation: Plastic Arts Award, Oriente Foundation’s collection XXVIII The Artist Collective Exhibition of Macao –selected in Western paintings group • 2013, Selected in 50th Bologna Illustration Exhibition
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y Now
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Y Now
'Fake Literary Youth' By Zoe Wong, Teresa Lei, Wilson Sin, Elaine Ma
T
he term "fake literary youth" has been around for a few years. It describes in particular a group of youngsters who have some literary and artistic characteristics but lack the essential quality that distinguishes the real literary group. Thus, how to identify the two groups of youth becomes intriguing. The term "literary youth" is commonly understood as youngsters who are well-educated, have a passion for literature and art, and carry an air of sophistication. They impress others with their literary knowledge and elegant style of speaking and behaving. It is because literary youth look stylish and impart a unique feeling to others, it becomes a trend for some people to act like them and follow what they do. Such people may likely become one of the "fake literary youth". These "fake literary youth" pretend or act like real literary youth. They follow the style of the literary youth by wearing black-rimmed glasses, carrying a camera and hanging out in coffee shops. They may show others that they have habits related to literature or art, but in fact they may just pretend to do so. For example, one may bring along a literary book, go to a coffee shop, take a photo and upload a "check-in" post on Facebook to exhibit that he or she reads literature in a high-end cafe.
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To have a better understanding of who may belong to the "fake literary youth", we conducted a test. Based on the self check-list of 20 questions published on the 5th volume of Hong Kong magazine 100 Most, 14 questions were selected and modified for testing the youth in Macao. Youngsters of generation Y were asked to answer this online questionnaire in October. Among our respondents, only 8% of them may potentially be considered in the group of "fake literary youth". From the result of our questionnaire, 64% of the respondents considered that the "fake literary youth" are those who claim to be literary youth, but in fact do not have any habit related to literature or art. Another 23% thought that those who plan their schedules with activities of literature and art which are aimed at impressing others belong to the "fake literary youth". In addition, we conducted three interviews to obtain a deeper understanding of young people's opinion about the "fake literary youth". Wong Chi U, a student of University of Macau (UM), thought that the term "fake literary youth" stands for a group of people who are hypocritical and act like literary persons. She defined them as people who spend their spare time by reading books or listening to music in coffee shops. She also said that female "fake literary youth" usually have short hair. She considered the "fake literary youth" a derogatory
term since the word "fake" normally did not mean something good. "Youngsters who want to escape form pressure coming from society jump into the world of books," said Wong. She also added that nowadays there are too many rules and expectations that are laid on the youth, which makes "fake literary youth" to exist. Another interviewee, Mr. Ip thought that the term "fake literary youth" fits people who are usually slim, wear black-rimmed glasses, look like they have some artistic temperament and act like they study a lot. He felt that these "fake literary youth" love to post a long status on Facebook. He did not feel comfortable with them. "People are fake, they are always posing and pretending," said Ip. Tam Hoi Ian, another student of UM, agreed that such people think of themselves as welleducated and civilized. "They may know a lot of books and movies, but only the titles, not the content," said Tam. She also pointed out that they may post some gloomy status on Facebook at night time, and their purpose is to get others' attention. She believed that the number of "fake literary youth" is small, and they would not affect society. "There are different kinds of people living together with us in our society, thus we should learn to accept them." In fact, there is no right or wrong for someone to bring a literary book to a coffee shop, nor should there be any value judgment about them. Only you know for sure whether you really read the book or just pretend to read. Also, you are the only person who has the right to judge whether you are a real or fake literary youth, or you may just be neither of them.
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Y Now
'Fake Literary Youth' Test You can use the following questions as reference to check whether you are a "fake literary youth" or not. 1. Do you have the habit of going to coffee shops? 2. Are you wearing black-rimmed glasses? 3. Have you complained that TV programs are vulgar? 4. Do you love listening to songs which are not in your native language, although you may not understand what the lyrics mean? 5. Do you have the habit of going to bookstores? 6. Do you have the habit of buying or borrowing books even though you may no finish reading them? 7. Do you smoke? 8. Do you always use the MUJI brand stationeries? 9. Have you published any gloomy status on Facebook? 10. Do you prefer reading foreign magazines even though you cannot understand the words; and you never buy local magazines? 11. Do you love to give your opinion online rather than speak out in front of others in the real life? 12. Would you button the first button of your shirt which touches you neck? 13. Are you slim or do you want to act like you are slim? 14. Would you not use your self picture as the Facebook profile picture because it is not stylish?
If you get seven or more "yes" answers, you are probably a "fake literary youth".
Answer:
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Y Now
We are New Here
“I am a Nanjinger. I just received my Macao ID.” This is John Du’s (not real name) typical self-introduction. Du, 26, has lived in Macao for a couple of years and is now pursuing a master degree. Despite being a sociable and active student leader in the University of Macao Postgraduate Association (UMPA), he frankly stated that his social network is merely confined within the circle of mainland students due to “cultural and value differences, which have been instilled since childhood”. For example, the Cantonese dialect remains a predominant issue of integration. Du still cannot speak Cantonese; the few words he picked up were simple Cantonese phrases like “excuse me” and “thank you”. Another Macao new immigrant, Jamie Zhou, who is a year two student in City University of Macao, has encountered a similar problem. In spite of speaking fluent Cantonese just as her mother tongue, Zhou still cannot understand her local friends’ jokes from time to time. Even so, she tries hard to blend in with the local community as well as finding out her future career path. She has devoted herself to fencing club training. In 2012, she won the championship of Women’s Sabre in the Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Fencing Tournament. “If I become a permanent resident and eligible for voting, I would vote in the election,” she said, “and I plan to work in Macao in the future.” Nevertheless, she felt the city would be more welcoming if immigrants build friendship with locals. “One of my best friends is a local boy who I met in the UM English training course four years ago,” she said. Later on, the common interest of dessert has laid the foundation of their friendship. “Last year he even drove me and my friends to Hac Sa beach to watch the sunrise on my birthday!” Zhou added.
By Jasmine Liang
G
olden, flavorsome Portuguese egg tarts. Warm, savory Cantonese wonton noodles.
These two dishes symbolize the mixed culture of Macao, an enclave embedded with nearly 400 years of colonial history. Yet, this city of highest population density is still accepting immigrants. Despite centuries of inter-cultural integration, newcomers in Macao still struggle to adapt.
However for Luis Telo Mexia, in his 30s, he feels it is always a challenge to adapt to a new culture. Mexia first arrived in Macao from Portugal with his parents in 1989 and had studied and grown up here. Ten years later, he went back to Portugal for high school. Last year Mexia returned to Macao and worked in the audio and visual department in The Venetian and Wynn. Now he accepted the offer as the manager of El Gaucho CafÈ®. Mexia said even though he interacted with the Chinese everyday, he did not feel much connected to Chinese culture. Though he just speaks “siu siu” (a little bit of) Cantonese, he is always able to find out alternative ways to communicate with his Cantonese-speaking colleagues and large number of mainland China tourists. “Google translation and body language always help,” he explained. “Luckily, in the audio-visual industry the terms are universal, such as cables and microphones.” “Macao is a perfect place to settle down for a bachelor,” Mexia claimed, “it is easier to find a job if you are a citizen and there is a Portuguese community.” He is particularly fond of the atmosphere of Macao, which is a fusion of Chinese and Portuguese culture. In sum, history of Macao is a chronology of immigrations indeed. Being a Macao citizen is much more than receiving an ID. For new immigrations, there is a long way to go in terms of self-recognition and culture.
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Love Love or Bread ? Y Now
By Cindy Lee
I
Emily Tang
n this modern age, marriages are no longer about agreements between families or political gains. Generation Y has the freedom to make their own choice. So let's look deeper into how and what the generation Y considers before tying the Love + Hard Work knot. Un Leng Chan, a 24-year-old girl, who is going to marry her fiancĂŠe of nine After interviewing three persons from years this December. When it comes to generation Y about their opinions on what the question of love or bread, she has our generation considers for marriage, another idea.She thinks a long lasting there are two main categories in marriage relationship--the love among a couple consideration -- love and bread. Love should be like a still river, which flows refers to affectionate feelings between two steadily. She says, if one only considers persons; while bread, taken from the idiom bread without a true love, the relation "bread and butter", symbolizes money. won't be long-lasting. Leng believes that two persons can work hard together to Love + Bread build a happy relationship. Emily Tang, a third-year student, believes that girls have different perspectives in Love different stages. Between the ages of 16 Chao Ka Meng, a 22-year-old fireman, has to 21, girls will emphasize "love". They will some interesting ideas on love and bread. only consider their feeling and romance. Being young, he wants to explore more As time passes, their thoughts on love will to figure out what he wants. "Life is too change. Love has varied stages. She thinks short, so we should enjoy, live wild and that, usually when couples fall in love, they free while we're young. When it comes to are in the romantic, honeymoon stage, in marriage, I think of the passionate feeling which their romance can be described as the most. I have stable monthly income, so fireworks, beautiful but short-lasting. After 'bread' is not a problem for me. One day the moment that fireworks explode, there when I meet the girl of my dreams, I will will remain only smoke. To conclude, she settle down and get married," Chao says. believes that a long lasting relationship should not only have love, but also bread. After reading about several Ys' opinions
FACE TO FACE IS NOT THEIR WAY By Elaine Ma
W
hat are the ways of communication of generation Y? Facebook or Face to Face?
The communication of the new generation has changed in the hightech world. Always an indispensable part of human lives, the ways of communication for the new generation is not only face to face, but also using the digital social network to connect with others. The social media is getting more and more popular. Facebook and Weibo are two famous social networks for people to share their moods, daily stories and updates of their friends or relatives' lives. They can connect to the social network wherever and whenever they want. Wong Wai Hong, a university student, said, "The social network is a convenient communication way to connect with people; it is a big improvement in the technology field." On the other hand, people get used to contacting their friends or classmates through "apps", for example, WhatsApp and WeChat. These new tools lead to the decline of face to face communication. Ma Fong Fei, a high school teacher said, "Face to face is my preferred communication way in my daily life. Most of the time I need to teach students and chat with colleagues, and I do enjoy it. However, the social media is another method to connect with others when it is not convenient to make a phone call. Also, I can get to know other people. Leaving a message is a good way to let others know me." Since today's teenagers are raised in a high-tech world, it can be a big challenge to communicate with each other well for different
generations. The social media brings everyone closer together but it also widens the distance of communication between people. People rely on the social media to communicate and keep in touch with friends. When discussing a project, students usually open a chat room and discuss the details through the social media instead of face to face. "I am not allowed to use the phone in school, so I always talk with classmates face to face in the daily time," Wong Kei Kei, a secondary school student said. "However, the social media is important for us as we need to discuss homework and group work through the 'apps' at night." Obviously, it would have an effect on sociability. Teenagers are easier to have nervousness and stressful feeling when they have to talk about something face to face. Teenagers use the social media and "apps" to communicate with people. It is a trend and it causes serious problems. "They would become silent and are not willing to talk and share their opinions when discussing something in public," Ma said. Moreover, Wong Wai Hong emphasized, "However, I think the communication with 'apps' does not belong to a real 'communication'. Face to face is a useful communication method to exchange views and explain points." Differences exist when we communicate face to face or through the social network media. To a certain extent, social media can't transmit meanings and feelings completely, but face to face communication can carry information and emotion to its greatest capacity.
on marriage, what do you think? Do you think love should take a bigger portion than bread when marriage is concerned, or vise versa? In my point of view, both are equally important. With love, you can find out a way to work hard with your partner, to strive for the future, and with bread, you can have a stable life.
Chao Ka Meng 44 | bridges fall 2013
Parts of the photos offered by the interviewee
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Y Now
Facebook Secret Page Good or not?
I
've found a Year 2 BA student very charming. He's half Chinese, half Thai. I like him. By the way, I'm a boy too.
It was a Facebook post on the University of Macau Secret Page (UM Secrets). Most of the university students know the existence of this Facebook page or even have posted on it. The UM Secrets has got 4,768 likes so far. Earlier this year, Facebook set up a new wave of anonymous secret-sharing pages in the whole world. You can create a secret page of your high school, university, company or your city. But they may already exist. Now, open Facebook and try to search for "Macao Secrets" and see how many likes it gets. How does the anonymous secret page work? First, of course, the administrator opens a new Facebook group which can be set as a private group or a public group. Then participants can write anything they want to share on a Google form and the administrator would post the "secrets" anonymously on the secret page. Since people can avoid using their real names, they can express their feelings or ideas more directly, however, sometimes irresponsibly. Let me use "UM Secrets" as an example, a number of students - actually quite a large number - always blaming certain student associations on UM Secrets. The members of the associations would counter the claims. And they would start to attack each other with aggressive words. Finally everybody would join in and it would become a terrible conversation.
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By Amber Chan
"I never posted and commented on the UM Secrets, but I've liked it and received the latest update every day. I like to read the 'secrets' and like to see people arguing. Sometimes it's just like watching a movie," said Edwin, a year three UM student who did not give his surname. Many people find the UM Secrets problematic. So a new Facebook Page appears: UM Page. The description of this page is "An open platform for UM students. To use you real name. Feel free to talk about anything. There are no more secrets." But it only has about 880 likes so far. We all know that the social networks has huge power to influence everyone. The research "Facebook Use Predicts Declines in Subjective Well-Being in Young Adults," by Dr. Ethan Kross (University of Michigan) and Dr. Phillippe Verduyn (University of Belgium) (2013) concluded that "those who used Facebook a lot were more likely to report a decline in satisfaction than those who visited the site infrequently. In contrast, there was a positive association between the amount of direct social contact a volunteer had and how positive he felt." In my opinion, if people release their depression or anger through the anonymous secret page, they would never learn the right way to deal with the relationship problems and understand the importance of communication. And more people will start to publish irresponsible words. It would harm the community atmosphere of the university and the relationship between students.
The UM Secrets page received 4,769 likes by Oct 30, 2013.
Someone Pretended To Be Me On Facebook! John (fake name according to the interviewee's willingness), a Year 4 UM student, considered he was one of the victims of the "secrets". Reporter (R): What happened to you on the UM Secrets? And when? John (J): I found it soon after the start of this semester. Someone copied my own status which I posted on my Facebook timeline. He/she then pasted it on the UM Secrets Page. I didn't find it until my friend told me. After that, someone started pretending to be me and wrote some posts. I think it's really malicious, not just for fun. R: Can you guess the reason why someone impersonated you to post on the page? Did you join a conversation there before? J: In fact, I didn't follow/like that Facebook page. However, sometimes my Facebook friends would share some posts from the UM Secrets. I had replied saying some posts I thought were inconsistent with the fact. And I also blamed this kind of synonymous speech on Facebook. I guess people who impersonated me wanted to get some 'likes' from others so that they wrote some shocking statements.
R: What did you feel when you found it out? J: When I found it out, I felt I was not respected, frustrated, and even insulted. It's really ridiculous. It's not how a university student should behave. R: What did you do to respond? J: I have endured it, but still left comments on some of them. I did share the screen capture on my own Facebook timeline because I believe the person is my Facebook friend and he/she would see my sharing. R: What do you think of the UM Secrets? J: Undoubtedly, it gives an open platform for students to express opinion. It would be good if people use it properly. If not, we should examine whether it corresponds to the intention of this Facebook Page: "To share your little secrets and read others". Some posts on the Page are nothing related to UM, and some attacking certain people. Then, of course, the Page wouldn't be a good thing for the victims.
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Y Now
Purchasing Agents:
Profit Goes along with Problems
E
veryone loves shopping. However, some people think that it is too troublesome spending the whole day walking into different stores before they can find something they want. Nowadays, you can simply stay at home and shop with your computer. Online shopping is becoming a habit for the generation Y. Members of generation Y have more time for using the computer. Many teenagers are addicted to online shopping instead of going out. They love online shopping for some of the reasons listed below.
By Dawn Chen
R
eceiving purchase orders, searching in shopping malls and then delivering the items from Cotai to a courier at Gongbei (the largest border gate to Zhuhai, China), this is Wu Fan's weekend routine. After the items arrive somewhere in mainland China, at her customer's hands, "I will get my commission," said Wu. Wu, a student of University of Macau (UM), has just started her purchasing agent business along with her friend this semester. She realized there is "a big market" out there in the mainland, from which she believes she can make some money. Because of the advantage of duty free policy, Macao attracts numerous world-famous fashion brands to establish stores and outlets in the city. Spending less money to buy the same brand products motivates many mainlanders to turn to a purchasing agent in Macao. Wu is not alone. Many students, especially those from mainland China, see the potential profits in this business, and join the team of purchasing agents. However, to some extent, it is not easy money. Some problems occurred when these students step out of the ivory tower and learn to survive in a fierce business battleground. Sometimes, even legal problems can be involved. Purchasing agency is, more often than not, associated with tax evasion. According to Wu, the lowest price is always the customers' top concern. Therefore, in order to offer an alluring price, most purchasing agents keep silent when it comes to customs declaration.
Lower prices Online shops usually offer lower price products as they do not have to pay rent. The other reason is that online shops face more competition than physical retail stores as customers can compare prices of the same or similar products immediately before they buy the products.
A student of Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST), who refused to be named, said that he had never declared luxuries he bought for his customers when passing the border gate. He added that it was a "norm" shared by both purchasing agents and their customers. "In order to reduce the risks of being checked by customs officers, I would put the items in the backpacks of my friends and mine, then deliver to Gongbei. It is safer this way," said a UM student, surnamed Zhang, "Generally, customs officers will not approach people with only one or two backpacks. At least, I have never been checked." Another problem is when they try to take pictures of goods in stores, which is often banned in many shops. But Zhang stressed the importance of photo taking, explaining that it is a way to prove that products he sells are genuine instead of knockoffs. In this case, the photo-taking ban forces them to do it privately. "It can be very embarrassing when you get caught," said Zhang. Nevertheless, the desire for better sales overcomes his fear of embarrassment. As an experienced purchasing agent, he said he would do it quickly when shop assistants turn away or in the fitting room if it is a clothes store. Although facing some problems, driven by the huge profit, many student-purchasing agents are determined to continue. As Wu pointed out, "It is a profitable business with minimal cost. I will continue as long as it brings me more pocket money."
Parts of the photos offered by the interviewee
48 | bridges fall 2013
More choices There are a lot of shops online. You can visit many shops at one time. You don't have to walk into different shops but simply make a few clicks. Also there are brands which do not have physical retail stores in the city where you live. However, you can still see and buy their latest products through the Internet.
More convenient Many people nowadays are too busy and some are too lazy to go shopping. Online shopping is so convenient that you just need to move your fingers then you can purchase the products you want. Online shops are available for your visit 24 hours everyday. You can buy a pair of nice jeans even at midnight. After you buy the product online, it can be delivered directly to your home. You can simply sit at home and wait for it. Chao's shopping experience "I have not shopped in physical retail stores for more than two years," said Christie Chao, a 24 year-old office lady, who spends most of her spare time on online shopping. "I spend around MOP3,000 on
online shopping a month." Chao buys almost everything she needs through the Internet. "Macao's inflation rate is so high and our salaries are not raised as much. In order to maintain the living standard, it is necessary to find some lower price products. The prices of online products are much lower than the products in physical retail stores. I bought a box of instant noodles through group buying with 30% discount comparing to the supermarket near my home." When she is off from work, she stays at home with her cat and goes to different online shopping websites to check for the latest updates and sales. "I don't see why I have to go to physical retail stores. I can get everything from cheapies to brand name products by using my computer. I seldom find someone wearing the same clothes as I do. The prices of the brand name products that I wear are much lower than the ones that my friends get in the physical retail stores." Chao is now planning to turn her habit into a business. She plans to open an online store selling low priced and limited edition brand name products, for example, Korean-style fashion and cosmetics. She said that she hoped everyone could get the latest fashion products with a much more reasonable price as she does now.
Reasons to Shop Online By Crystal Loi bridges fall 2013 |49
Y Now
I
The 'Remarkable' Internet
t’s often said that generation Y, or people born in the 90s, are always connected to the digital world, with online social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Weibo; and texting applications such as WhatsApp, LINE, and WeChat. The Internet has become something that the generation Y could not be parted from, making it one of the conflicts between the Ys with other generations.
entertainment isn’t the only reason for us to stay online. Some of us take a great interest in producing creative works like videos, photography, songs, essays, comments, application development, web designs, forums, and even an online business venture. Therefore, there are tons of information being spread every second for everyone to see and to learn from it.
The previous generations see the Internet as a tool or an option to do whatever they want. However, the 90s was also known as the “Internet age”, people born during this period are more familiar with the informational system. The Internet is not just an optional tool to them but something they feel comfortable with; where they are good at and some even say it is in their blood.
Take videos for example, a video posted on YouTube can be viewed, played and replayed any time by millions of users, with greater coverage and directness compared to TV, radio or any other media. Moreover, it takes a few minutes on average to watch a video which contains all the key information that the author wanted to express.
“Get up and do something!” “Why are you always staying home?” “I wonder what you would do without the computer.” These are a few commonly heard comments by Ys and we are sure not very happy about it. We are judged with the old standard, no wonder a “good student” in 2013 doesn’t equal to the “good student” decades ago. “Having contact with the computer equals to playing in my parents’ eyes,” one of my friends said. I agree that there are many things we can do online that have nothing to do with school, but I’m sure that
There are some down sides about the Internet when one is too involved or obsessed with it. It may occupy your time and destroy your social life. To maximize its usage, we should balance the time spent online and offline. Be a user, not a loser. The Internet is powerful. With a few clicks, all the details that one needs will be delivered within seconds. The process of learning has been shortened like never before. Back then it took months or years to write a novel, or to get to know a person, but with the Internet it is only a matter of days. The world has changed so must we.
By Rex Chan
Teens with computer.
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Y Now
Money or Grades ? T
oday, many full-time university students have part-time jobs like sales and tutoring. Some students even start to have a part-time job when they are in secondary schools. Time management is one of the points that teenagers need to be concerned with. In the past, some secondary students offered tutoring after class to earn extra income because of family financial problems. The need for students to find part-time employment is now beyond covering the tuition fee and earning extra income to supplement the family living.
By Hannah Ng
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Unlike previous generations, the new generation wants to get a little extra money to spend on entertainment, clothes and electronic products. They also want to obtain a working experience during their school lives in order to increase their future employability. Material benefit is the main reason for finding a part-time job. And the most important thing is that they always ignore the importance of a balanced life. It would not be beneficial if the time spent on a part-time job is more than that on study. Moreover, bad time management would lead to the lack of sleep which would mess up their studies. It is common to see that some students spent less time on study because of parttime jobs.
Vitty Ho is now a Form 5 student with no part-time job. She worked in a tutoring centre for half a year when she was in Form 3. She needed to work after class from 17:00 to 20:00, sometimes to 21:00 on weekdays. She was not satisfied with the offer, but she accepted it as there was no other choice of jobs for her age. "I want to earn more cash for buying some favorite things and having fun with friends, therefore, I need a job," Ho said. Money benefit is one of the incentives for Ho. She didn't want to ask her parents for pocket money except for necessary living costs and tuition fees. Taking on a part-time job while studying, Ho felt exhausted and sleepy after work. She had little energy to do homework when she went back home. She set aside the homework until she woke up in early morning and finished it in a rush. "Although I felt stressful and tense because of the tight schedule, I was very happy and satisfied when I got the money," Ho said. After half a year, she quit the job since her grades were falling and she felt really tired to give tutoring. "A healthy balance of work and study is very important. Don't get yourself in trouble unless you can handle both work and study," Ho concluded.
Vitty Ho, a Form5 student.
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Y Now
A
re Buddhist families' children Buddhists usually? Students from Catholic schools read the Bible, so do they necessarily believe in Catholicism? Nowadays, the meaning of religion for generation Y in Macao may be a bit indistinct and ambiguous. The definition of religion has changed in youths' eyes. "I don't have religion," said Ms. Leong, a university student. "I believe in all gods when I 'need' them." Asked by the same question, "Do you have religion?" another student Mr. Chan said, "I believe in myself," which is obviously different from the definition of religion - believing in a superior being.
YI
Families play an important role in this issue. "I will follow my mum to do the rituals for worshipping my ancestors if she asks me to do so," Leong mentioned. Instead of saying "I have a religion", youths in Macao tend to say, "My family's religion is..." or "I will light incense sticks, but I am not a Buddhist." Examples would go on.
know I should not do so but it is just a pastime for me. I won't bear it in mind," she added. When asked what she would do if someone tells her that he or she doesn't have religion, Yum replied, "I can understand that. ...It is not easy to ask them (to believe in God), although I am supposed to do so." Will the young people change their ideas about religion in the future? The answer is possibly "yes". Mrs. Ho, a 28-yearold married lady, said that she didn't have religion when she was a student even though she studied in a Catholic school. "I became a Buddhist after I got married," she said. People need spiritual support no matter what generation they are. Things change when people go through different life stages. They may change their ways to seek spiritual support or the way they think about personal religion.
Some young people although have religions, they sometimes do things which a believer is not allowed to do in their religions. For example, Ms. Yum, a Christian student, said she reads articles about astrology on the Internet sometimes. "I
Belief, Believe
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By Niko Lei
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Y Now
nusual nder - raduate
UUG is a weekly online variety show produced by the General Association of Chinese Students of Macao. In each episode, there is a group of undergraduates with two hosts discussing a topic which is about the daily lives of undergraduates or current hot issues. They have covered topics like "the first experience of studying abroad", "my talent is not weird", "unbearable system" and "should mainland students work in Macao?" The viewing rate of the show is between 1,500 to 2,500 times.
By Abby Lei
Have you ever thought of creating a platform to voice your opinions?
I
n generation Y, it is very rare to have a completely "usual" undergraduate time. When our horizons are broadened, we start to judge and criticize about things given by the former generations. "Accepting tradition with no negation" exists rarely. Programs on television do not always satisfy us: maybe the topics are not attractive enough or maybe the interaction is low. If the existing programs cannot make us content, why don't we create something really funny and suitable only for us undergraduates? Therefore, the Unusual Undergraduate (UUG) came to air.
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Mok Keng-Fong, the male host of UUG, considers that the show is made for the undergraduates nowadays. "Not only the on-the-spot guests are all undergraduates, but also the production team, including the research team, the shooting team and post-production team. They are all .run by students from secondary schools or universities," Mok said. Unlike other programs from TV stations, UUG provides a high degree of freedom for undergraduates to express their thoughts and ideas. To get on this platform, you don't have to be an artist or a celebrity, but just an undergraduate who wants to share opinions.
Since this is not a very professional production, the crew has faced a lot of difficulties. However, this cast of youths are full of energy and have a spirit of adventure. Mok expressed welcome to negative feedback and even rumors, "If you want to get improvement, you have to withstand hardships." He also indicated that enthusiasm and cohesion are the keys for success. In generation Y, there are too many chances for absorbing knowledge and improving yourself that it is hard for you to just stay idle and be your usual self! If you are an undergraduate who has your own point of view and is not willing to keep silent, UUG will be a platform recommended to you.
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The Bigger His Dream,The Wider His Arena
Willis,Chu Chi Wai
By Henry Lei
Excellent achievement: 2008: Asian Wushu Championships Gold medal, Qiangshu
Date of birth:
2010: Asian Games, Guangzhou The Fourth, Changquan
Career:
2011: World Wushu Championships,Turkey Gold medal, Jianshu
1991/3/12
Student, UM - civil engineering
2013:
Outstanding talent:
East Asian Games Silver medal, Jianshu/Qiangshu All-round
Martial Arts
Biography: Unforgettable moment:
He has started practicing martial arts since he was 10. His athletic career has lasted around 12 years. During these years, although practicing hard in martial arts, he was still able to graduate from high school with a good grades. And now, he is a student majoring in civil engineering at University of Macau (UM).The most admirable thing with him is that he can keep his GPA at around 3.7 to get a full scholarship for his study.
In 2009, Chu made some serious mistakes out of pressure in a competition so that he couldn’t get any medals. After this failure, Chu came to the conclusion that he should make more effort and enjoy more in every single competition in his limited career.
機會是留給有準備的人。
Chance favors the prepared mind.
Expectation: Chu said that the careers of athletes are short and he doesn’t want to have any regrets in his youth. So he just enjoys every minute in martial art.
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Parts of the photos offered by the interviewee
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y Not
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Y CARE‘LIKES’ By Teresa Lei
N
owadays, people love to share their daily life with friends through social networks, especially young people from generation Y. Posting to get “likes” has became a habit for many in this generation. To share their daily life, they tell their feelings or what they have just come across by updating their Facebook status. Besides, uploading photos to Facebook, Instagram, Weibo or other social platforms so that their friends could see what has been practiced routinely. The “like” button on Facebook was introduced on February 9, 2009. Since then, Facebook users can “like” their friends’ statuses, photos, comments and their shared links. People could show their appreciations by just tapping the “like” button on Facebook and Weibo, or by double-tapping the photos on Instagram. Some people have questioned whether the “like” function makes it easier for people to show what they like or makes them lazier in expressing their appreciation. People become excited when they receive “likes” for their status or photos. Vincci Cheuk, a Hong Kong writer has got a lot of “haters” online. However, ever since she posted a sexy self-picture without make-up on Facebook, many of her “haters”
became her “likers” overnight; she received over 3,000 likes for that photo. To her surprise, she did not expect to receive such a response. Later on, she published a book titled “Commercial Smile” in which she discussed her experience with the “like” phenomenon. She wrote that when people get 50 “likes”, they probably want 100, and then more and more. In June 2013, Hong Kong artist Plastic Thing opened a Facebook page which used ironic drawings to show the “post for likes” culture, especially for girls who are trying to build a “goddess” image for themselves in order to get “likes”. She summarized a list of things girls would do to have beautiful self pictures; which include wearing exaggerating colored contact lens which would make their eyes look bigger, putting on trendy Korean-style make-up, wearing sexy clothes, etc. To this day, the Plastic Thing page has gotten over 120,000 fans, indicating that many people agree with her points. Ironically she has collected a great deal of “likes” in the process. Besides getting support or compliments, people may also get the feeling of superiority from the amount of “likes” they get. They feel like they are being praised. Therefore, they keep on posting new photos.
Some people take photos of their food every day, some girls take sexy photos with heavy make-up, some boys take photos of their new cars, shoes or trendy clothes and so on. All of them are very likely aimed at collecting “likes” from their friends. Others may think it ridiculous that people make so much effort to soliciting “likes”. They first have to order the food and take several photos; then they use 10 minutes to choose the best photo, adding filters or other effects on it, and spend another five minutes to compose a caption for the photo, and then finally upload the photo. Those people may really enjoy the labor despite the fact that their food may turn cold. On the other hand, there are some people who care so much about the number of “likes” that they even go to the extreme extent of purchasing “likes” online. Everyone is free to do whatever they like as long as they don’t affect others negatively. Some people become extreme but others not. Not everyone who updates status or photos online is “like-addicted”. Everyone has the right to do so and others at least should show respect. However, to give or to count “likes” or not? That is a personal choice.
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Y Not
Y STUDY U?
By Cat Leong
“A clear goal is the most important thing for being successful, but not a diploma.” Many people used to put an equal stress on diploma and good job. However, you will be disappointed to know the real situation. In fact, it may be an advantage of getting into society but is not easy to find a good job. Liz Cheong, a fresh graduate of psychology major disagrees with the notion that undergraduate education guarantees good jobs. “It is an advantage for some professions. Just like me, acquiring a diploma is definitely a must for my job. Yet I don’t think I have a good job. I feel unsatisfied with the salary and benefits,” said Cheong. According to a report by the Macao government, dealers earn an average of MOP16,720 per month currently. However, it is revealed that university graduates earn on average only MOP14,000 per month and the median income is MOP12,500 per month. Helen Lee, majoring in Business Administration, has recently graduated from University of Macau. Her salary is under the median income. “Everyone has a bachelor degree, there is no advantage for a university graduate to find a good job, even any job,” she said.
Liz Cheong, a fresh graduate psychology student of University of Macau.
Lee said that the university education might not necessarily bring her a good job, but it did make her grow up, obtain friendships with a lot of people and give her chances to explore her interests.
“I’ve never thought of not going to university, it is just like you should study secondary school after primary school,” said Samson Lai. Lai, a Form 6 student, plans to continue his study after graduation. “For me, studying at university is an inevitable stage. My goal is to enter a good university and find a good job once I graduate,” said Lai.
“I disagree with the idea that a better development of career must be with higher education. In those years, some of my high school classmates did not go to university, but they have their own goals. For example, one of my classmates was interested in the retail industry and worked as a sales girl after graduating from high school. She made an effort in doing what she wanted. After a number of years, she has become a manager in one luxury brand store. Now she has found a good job,” said Lee. “A clear goal is the most important thing for being successful, but not a diploma.”
Currently, university education has become a general trend. According to the statistics from the Macao government, about 85% high school graduates will continue their studies rather than find employment. Most of the students are like Lai, following the general trend, focusing on completing undergraduate studies and believing this will be easier for them to find a good job. “(There is only) a fat chance unless you are born in an affluent family and get full support from your family. If not, you can only get jobs that require lower technical skills and offer lower salaries,” said Yoyo Tam, another Form 6 student.
Yoyo Tam, a Form 6 student of Pooi To Middle School
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Parts of the photos offered by the interviewee
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Y Not
New Trend of 90s: Selfies By Katherine Ying
H
e was continuously commenting on my photos, trying to flatter me with words like ‘beautiful and attractive’.
A complaint came from a Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) senior student, whose name shall remain anonymous. Having posted her headshots on Renren.com, a Chinese social media site, she often receives comments and messages from strangers. “He wrote that he could not help but asking me out on a date,” she added, “This is ridiculous.” She is not the only one receiving such harassment from posting selfies. The word “selfie” or “selfy” has been added to the Oxford Online Dictionary in August 2013, specifically defined as “a kind of self-portrait photograph, typically taken by smart phones or webcams.” Selfies become popular by the increasing use of smartphones and online social media. They may be big traps for young people, despite that selfie fans firmly believe that it is a good channel to show and share their colorful lives with their friends and followers.
Indulged in selfies, this group of 90s could easily be attacked from other Internet users and face privacy disclosure, one of the traps on the Internet. “Your photos might be used by others easily. They download them, edit them and distribute them directly,” said Ken Chan, a sophomore accounting major who refuses to do selfies. According to some media reports in 2011, 14 nude photos of 12 female high-school students in Guangdong Province were found on pornographic websites, as their online photo albums were hacked. These photos received around 180,000 hits. What’s worse is that, on Oct. 18, 2013 when this story was written, their photos could still be found on the Internet. “It is very risky to take nude selfies and upload them to the Internet, because these photos are hard to remove once they are shared by others,” Jarvinia Zhao, a senior Global Business Management major from University of Macau (UM), commented. Sharing or distributing selfies has 64 | bridges fall 2013
Y
You Dressed Like That
By Mio Chen
T
alking about generation Y, their dress is always a favorite point to be satirized and complained about. Those kids love dressing in their own style of fashion, which annoys other people, especially their parents, a great deal. Regarding the attire issue, Asian people may show lower tolerance for the “weird” clothes and become very judgmental. For a while, the modern Hanfu (Han clothing) movement, a return to the traditional Chinese fashion of ancient dynasties, has got attention in the country. The movement was said to be initiated by Wang Le-
become a big concern. Xinhua news agency has reported a 13-year-old girl from Hainan snapped nude selfies supposedly just for her boyfriend, but the photos were soon leaked to the Internet. It is unimaginable the shame the girl will suffer, nevertheless the future psychological trauma caused by such scandal is unclear. What’s more, whether this issue has brought on more psychological trauma for the girl in the future is not clear. Another critic regarding the selfie mainly focuses on narcissism. “They want to get compliments so as to satisfy their vanity,” Phoebe Feng, a senior English major said. Some people indicate selfies are related to vulgarity. Chan said that selfies are totally “useless with vulgar tastes by showing what they eat or wear.” Ron Wong, a master student said, “It is said that posting selfies on the social media shows 90s confidence, but sometimes I just cannot understand it.” With all the concerns and critics, nevertheless, selfie fans still believe that it is a good way of self-assertion. “Posting on social media shows my confidence,” Fish Yu said. “I don’t care about criticism, and for those who criticize me, I would directly put them into a blacklist.” Some scholars suggested that the widespread of selfie phenomenon might be related to self-motivation. An article published in Editorial Friend, a professional journal in China, claimed that with the growing prevalence of individualism, people tend to seek attention and opportunities to show off. Dr. Aaron Balick, a psychotherapist, who conducted research on online social network behavior, stated that a selfie is “an expression of an active online identity”, which people are able to control by themselves, he was quoted in the BBC News Magazine. “He finally gave up and never visited my webpage again after I ignored all comments and requests from strangers,” the MUST student said. However, she can still receive requests sometimes from people who are outside of her social circle. Parts of the photos offered by the interviewee
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Y Not
齊 裙
子
襦
褙
胸
·
裙
裙
襦
襖
襟
·
明
明
對
“Japanese have Kimono and Koreans have Hanbok. They preserved their culture pretty well,” said a netizen, born in 1993, “Chinese have nothing but an economic growth. This is diminishing Chinese culture and affecting its uniqueness and continuity.” “Do you know what’s the most hilarious thing I’ve encountered?” asked Wang. “People kept mistaking it as Kimono or Hanbok. Even some teachers of Chinese Studies could not recognize Hanfu.” However, Wang also admitted that there were certain reasons for the mistakes and she was not angry with that. “Japan and Korea were highly influenced by the ancient Chinese culture,” Wang said. “Given the circumstances, they therefore shared many similarities with Hanfu.” She said that the misunderstanding reinforced her determination rather than hindered her from wearing Hanfu.
Photos from Qing Hui Ge, an online shop that sells Hanfu tian, who made Hanfu by himself and wore it in the street of Zhengzhou in 2003. Wang’s action astonished many people and was reported by a newspaper in Singapore. Many people were inspired by him and joined the movement. Y kids occupied a large proportion among the followers and became a main force of the movement. Some Y kids wear Hangfu as daily costume, which annoys some people of generation X. Last year, a newspaper in Guangzhou reported that a girl named Hu Chen was sent back home from school just because she wore Hanfu in class. One of her teachers was quot-
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ed as saying, “Her behavior can cause negative effect to others.” Others even commented it as a show-off. Hu is not a single case. According to the information collected from the Internet, many Y kids who joined the Hanfu movement were not supported by the elders, especially their parents. “The 80s and 90s kids are immature,” a mother who was born in 1973 was quoted as saying. “It is ridiculous and crazy to wear Hanfu on a daily basis. They do it just because it can stand them out.” She also suggested that youngsters’ love in Hanfu is nothing different from their love
in bizarre dressing in their adolescence.
to use a knife and fork or chopsticks as they prefer.”
As a matter of fact, it is not as simple as those adults believe. What youngsters want is not simply a grandstand but understanding from the public.
When asked about why she wears it every day, she said, “It is just my own hobby and actually Hanfu is quite convenient.” She thought some people just showed a bias against Hanfu in regard to the complexity issue. “People won’t wear a swallow-tailed coat to climb a mountain as well,” said Wang. “I won’t wear those complicated Hanfu in everyday life.”
Wang, a student majoring in Chinese Studies in the University of Macau, has also joined the Hanfu movement as well. As a daily wearer of Hanfu, she believes that there are no clear boundaries between Hanfu and normal dressings. “Wearing Hanfu or wearing T-shirt is just a matter of preference,” said Wang. “It is just like people have right
Wang said she was described as an extremist and she was not afraid to admit it. “Where there is reform, there are meant to be some extremists.” Wang said with a serious look. “People can be attracted by the clothing first by its aesthetical appeal and then they might be attracted by Chinese culture after that. I believe it can be the start of Chinese cultural revival and that’s why I wear clothes like these.”
For many Y kids, the Hanfu movement is aimed at cultural renaissance. Under the overloading information of the world and Westernization after the industrial revolution, traditional cultural artifacts, like Hanfu, are losing their ground. Chinese people have become more unfamiliar with their own dressing culture.
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Y Not
By Vinson Liu
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“Otaku” is a Japanese term used to describe people who are interested in cartoons, anime and computer games and have a deeper understanding of these things. In China, it refers to people who stay home all day and only live a closed social life with limited social skills. Here are two cases about Otakus earning money by playing games and managing an online business. “The higher level weapons I get, the more money I can earn by selling them. In the best of my records, I earned more than CNY1,000 on that day,” said Francis Dai, a marketing student from University of Macau (UM). “I can use these social media like QQ and WeChat which work with the Internet,” said Dai. Aside from the classes and some other activities, he spent almost all his free time in his dorm room. Just like every other Otaku playing online games, watching TV and surfing online, he also said that he made money from playing online games. “Someone with self-discipline could achieve a great success working at home, others with poor self-control ability might stay idle,” Dai added. Dai is not the only one who earns money while staying at home. Sandy Zhang, a 20 years old Finance and Business Economics major of UM, was inspired to open a shop on “Taobao”, China’s biggest online shopping website. She has been running her online crystal shop for about half a year on Taobao. “You don’t have to go out to see the world anymore. The Internet is powerful enough for you to know everything without going out. Besides, how far can you go by walking?” asked Zhang.
OTAKU
ROCK OUR DREAMS NO MATTER WHERE WE ARE
W
ith the trend of “Otaku”, more and more generation Y kids are unwilling to leave the house and socialize, parents think it will have negative effects on their kids’ social skills and future career. But the boys and girls of generation Y show us that they are still closely connected to the outside world and achieving their personal goals without having to be urged to leave their room.
That’s why online shopping is quite popular nowadays. Zhang smiled and proudly showed me the webpage of her online shop. She spent most of her time managing her little online business and hoping to become even more successful in the future.
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Y Not
By Aki Pang
U
nlike the traditional lifestyle, some youths like wearing beautiful clothes, eating well but don’t care about how much money they spend even though they don’t earn much. There is a new term “moonlight clan” to describe these kinds of people.
The term “moonlight clan” originates from Taiwan. It is the translation of the term in Chinese “Yue Guang Zu”. “Yue guang” means “moonlight” in English, but also has a twisted meaning of nothing left at the end of the month. “Zu” means “clan” referring to a group of people. Thus, the term is to describe a specific group of
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people who spend all of their salary every month. Mostly, youths are in this clan. Based on a Taiwan media report, 37% of office workers admitted that they belonged to the “moonlight clan”, even though they were not, they admitted that it was hard for them to save money. “Sometimes I spend all my salary,” said Sam Chan, who admitted that he was in the “moonlight clan”. “It is hard for me to save money. Apart from giving domestic expense to my parents and my living expenses, I regularly buy two to three pieces of clothing
every month. Sometimes I buy more than I expect. And I have many social activities. As a result, I have almost no money left.” There is also a group of youths who are in the “moonlight clan” without choice. “I just earn around 2,000 dollars per month; sometimes I earn less when I am busy with my studying,” a university student Carol Lam said. “Mostly my earnings are spent on living expenses, including lunch costs, transportation fees and so on. My salary is really low and cost of living is high. Even though I want to save money, there is no money left every month.”
Parts of the photos offered by the interviewee
However, not all the youths are members of the clan. There are a few people who keep saving their earnings. “I keep saving part of my salary every month,” said Vivian Leong, an office clerk, claiming that she was not a member of “moonlight clan”. “After deducting my living expense and family expense, I can still save part of my salary every month.” She explained that she didn’t become a “moonlight clan” even when she was at secondary school. “When I was a high school student, my parents would give me pocket money. But I have never been a ‘moonlight’ member because I have learned to control my spending,” she added.
Another interviewee, Athena Lei, a Year 4 student who has a part-time job in the library said, “I earn around MOP3,000 per month but I keep saving 1,000 every month. Mostly I spend my money on food and snacks.” When asked how she saves money, she expressed, “Eating at home other than outside can save lots of money. Go shopping with consideration and not be easily taken by advertisements.”
Tips for financial management 1. Control yourself on spending money 2. Record your expenses 3. Reduce the budget for restaurants and eating outside 4. Cut unnecessary expenses 5. Always examine your expenses
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Strawberry eneration
G M
iss Cheong was found lying on the platform in Tai Po by a policeman on October 14, 2013. She jumped from a building because of failure in keeping fit; dead despite rescue efforts, a Hong Kong media reported.
Nowadays, youths might feel stressed out because of school scores, love, family, social relationships, the stature and so on. They have become the social group that registers a mounting rate of suicides in the world. They
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are named “the strawberry generation” who are between 15-24 years old. The strawberry generation is a Taiwanese term describing those born in 1980s and 1990s that are commonly believed to “bruise easily” like strawberries because they can’t bear social pressure. They are reputed to be insubordinate, spoiled, selfish, arrogant, and sluggish at work. According to the research project by the Centre for Su-
Parts of the photos offered by the interviewee
By Alice Fong
“
Teenagers need chances, not adults’ replacement!
” bridges fall 2013 |73
Y
Y Not
STAR-STRUCK By Elizabeth Li “Pre s to ov sure isn’t e “The rcome built up an in p hur t. arents a d social a day b r ut in e e A n suicid c o viro t v u e scho es in ol wo ally, adve r protect nments, a long pe the w ” r r ing th r k or i sity i o s a d or ld. of tim s go eir ch id Dr. L inter And tion (CSR “Tee o p e am K ildren d for er so . It g evide nage i n n r t o w a hem. Wing ws d l rela ho ea r s ne nce s P), Hong chan , e T t A p s i e ugge K hey c onsh s i e ces t d cha l s y n i d s g tant ing o ive u sts th ong now Research ips.” an le nces had b o do t icid P p n r , h e tre a ” Lam , not ofess the e hings r n ho een t nd co as a high and Prev e or of nviro adult w by th raine e x p t o en n l ra n ained s’ tinue F e achie d to s sha te of you . Par aculty of ment, pe obta mselves. replacem v Cur re e a r i n the e nd b r ply s T e nt upwa th uild u nts nowa Education onality ( abilit hey also nt!” said ries. ly, people a rds. d p y n c ( a L q F e They o t y a u E e h w f s m. A ired d sup D) in eir c emot are a don’t ould like d dres e o u U p l i n l e o lts w o n fiden m nal c sing ce du ays afrai iver sity o ent), ab ompr r ter s. Th always or ec have man to use th d of eir fr use t il f essio r e “pu onom i y sur n g iends h the p their c Macau ( ity n fro dding vival ical p Miss , sch eir way t UM). h m r i o s l r d c k g c e r e i h e ssure lls. In o e o Ch ss, b ildho n . e it h n getting od, t olmates, help the their eration” she r an is a lo here teach ir ch or “t o daily cal Y ecov usew il woul life, m ofu ge e ered or k, dn’t er s and p dren to s . She ar 4 stu n a e n r h y o a a a d t t l r v v s e i h e o e e aid, “ n ings nts been p Peop have n” to des I sho t who wa so m can all b roblems. le wo cribe u s b l e d a d Th e n e n e ’ n n o t pudd y “st e ot gi those settle rawb ne of the ey need ing o die when ve up ply hur t d w h f e o o b r tofu m , I sti r r y” r the t ll hav y a relati kids. . If we m. Th “br uise” anym hey love. o e m ey do Wher ore. many nship. e the n’t n ore easil She peop eed t y re is h a l e d who o car than str a life love even a s e , the abou awberu me s re is t eat o mu icide atte a ho ing, ch.” pe. Y m p t She g a outh s sho ot be t the beg uld b in tter s e str tep b ning. Th onge y step. en r, do n’t b e str awbe r ries ,
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T
iffany Li, a 20-year-old girl was in Guangzhou attending a concert of her avorite Korean idol group. With great expectation, she will fly to Hong Kong next month to enjoy another big concert. Li, just like millions of youths in their teens or twenties, are “star-struck”, or in layman terms , we call them “fans”, who are extremely interested in or impressed by celebrities. They usually show their enthusiasm by joining fan clubs, buying albums and every other thing related to their “stars”, attending concerts, or films, even promoting products endorsed by the idols. Nowadays, with the dramatic development of the Internet and efficiency in transportation, it’s much easier for fans to keep track of their idols. A large number of “loyal” fans are created so that they do not just communicate with stars through social networks, but also are able to follow their schedules. “Every day I would look at their pictures and videos through Weibo for about five hours as there are so many updates out there!” said Li. “Although it is expensive to fly to another place just to attend a concert, I think it’s really worth it because I could meet them in person and enjoy their best performance!”
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Y Not
What Type of Fans Are You
The high cost of tracking a star is not the only concern. Some of the fans show their “loyalty” in an improper way which causes harm to others, and even disturbance in public places; especially in airports, where crowds of young people would pour into the arrival gate of the airport screaming, stretching their arms,jostling with each other, and throwing gifts directly to the celebrities. They would even trample on other fans just to get closer to their idols. In some extreme cases, this can lead to an intense personal celebrity worship that is associated with poorer mental health according to the research paper about celebrity worship published in the British Journal of Health Psychology in 2005. On the contrary, some of them did hold a different attitude. “I used to do those “crazy” things such as collecting posters and pamphlets in the stores which they (idols) endorsed,” said Jarvinia Zhao, a J-Pop fan for four years since 18. “It really is your own choice to behave rationally or not. In the future I would still support them, but I will never do anything foolish or harmful to myself, others, or hurt the idols’ images.” Zhao has been learning Japanese for a long time and now serves in the fan group making subtitles for Chinese fans. “I think supporting them with rationality and responsibility is what a true fan should do.” Parts of the photos offered by the interviewee
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The Bigger His Dream, The Wider His Arena
Samson, To Ching Yin
Excellent Achievement:
2005: • The 23rd Macao Young Musicians Competition, • First Prize, Piano Works for Four Hands (Elementary Level). 2007: • The 25th Macao Young Musicians Competition • First Prize, Piano Works of 20th Century (Intermediate Level) • First Prize, Sonatina for Piano • Third Prize, Piano Works by Macao Composers (Intermediate Level) • The Talented Prize
By Henry Lei
Date of birth:
1999/02/06
2008: • Awarded Grade 8 Piano Performance Certificate from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) 2009: • The 29th Macao Young Musicians Competition, • Third Prize, Piano Solo (Level 8) • Third Prize, Piano Concerto 2011: • Awarded the Diploma of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (DipBRSM) and Grade 8 Music Theory Certificate 2012: • Invited to perform in the Highest Scorers’ Concert organized by ABRSM Macao
Career:
Student, Pui Ching Middle school
Outstanding talent:
2013: • The 33rd Macao Young Musicians Competition, • First Prize, Granados Piano Works • Third Prize, Piano Concerto • Invited to perform Piano Concerto No.2 in B-flat major, Op.19 composed by Beethoven in Macau New Generation Musician Concert 2013
Piano
Unforgettable moment:
In 2010, he received an opportunity to perform a piece of music composed by Chopin in the Bejing-Hong Kong-Macao Students Summer Camp as a representative of Macao students. He was excited that he could perform in front of the audience from different places.
Expectation:
He hopes that he can continue to improve his piano skills in the future and face more challenges.
Biography:
He has a lot of hobbies, such as painting, singing, and playing piano. However, at the beginning, To’s parents didn’t ask him to learn any professional skills. When he was 4, he saw a piano outside the window of an instrument shop accidentally. At that time, he was fascinated by it and told his mother that he wanted to learn to play the piano. Since then, he started his marvelous piano life.
堅持就是一切。 Success only comes when one insists.
Piano has been an irreplaceable part of his life for these 10 years. He feels fulfilled when he is practicing the piano. He mentioned that piano is one of his important friends and he can be relaxed by contacting with music.
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Parts of the photos offered by the interviewee
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y Me
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Y You Volunteer
By Mio Chen, Vinson Liu, Rex Chan and Cindy Lee
Volunteering indicates altruistic activities which are intended to promote the goodness or improve the quality of human life. Voluntary activities have become one of the most respected social acts, attracting participation of many citizens including Y kids.
T
here has been a considerable increase in voluntary job participation of youngsters aged between 13 and 25 in recent years. According to the Hong Kong Volunteer Movement (HKVM) statistics, the number of volunteers in this age group in Hong Kong almost doubled from 240,000 in 2005 to 469,000 in 2012. Travis Lai, a youth leader of Bosco Youth Service Network (Bosco Youth), a Catholic voluntary group in Macau, who is also a Human Resource major student at UM, pointed out that a similar trend is also witnessed in Macau. “More and more youth took on voluntary jobs.” Lai said. “Peer pressure plays an important role in the process.” In addition, this group of youngsters forms the main force of the voluntary movement. According to the latest statistics released by the HKVM, the Y generation (age 13-25) accounts for 44% of the total number of volunteers in Hong Kong in 2012. Other age groups showed a lower proportion. The phenomenon is understandable. Hom Lee, a Mandarin volunteer member, explained that Y kids have natural advantages compared with other age groups. “Frankly speaking, doing a voluntary job is a relief from study and work for Y kids.... We don’t have much stress like those adults who need to earn their living and we can better understand the joy of helping others.” She also said that physical status is another reason for the higher portion of youth participation in voluntary work. “Schools and religion also contribute a lot in promoting voluntary jobs to Y kids in Hong Kong and Macau,” Lai suggested. “Most schools, especially religious schools, encourage their students to participate in the activities.” This statement is supported by the statistics of HKVM which indicate that schools and community organizations have become the main source of the voluntary movement. Schools take up a quarter of the voluntary jobs in Hong Kong. As Y kids are mostly in schools, they contribute more to the voluntary movement than other age groups.
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Y Me
Y we need to be a volunteer? Daniel Zhou, a student of University of Macau (UM) is a recipient of 2012 Top 10 Youth Volunteers of Macau Award by the Macau government. He now works in the voluntary team of Bosco Youth and this is the fifth year of his volunteering. His voluntary team generally provides entertainment activities for Macau kids, especially for those who are disabled, mentally handicapped, or suffer from infantile autisms. In addition, he also joined a voluntary group in helping children in underdeveloped areas like Vietnam. Zhou himself was one of the beneficiaries of Bosco Youth. Influenced by the spirit of voluntary activities in his childhood, he has devoted himself to voluntary work. He explained that all voluntary groups were determined to promote the humanitarian spirit to everyone in the world and the participation of Y generation is increasingly important. “Materialism is more and more popular around the world,” said Zhou. “Even certain public organizations like hospitals and schools have become commercial. Voluntary work brings love to the general public, helping them to adjust from their misleading values. As Y kids would be the next leading generation of society, their participation in voluntary work is irreplaceable.” He believed that when Y kids participate in voluntary work, they would be imparted with the spirit of love and humanity which would be passed on to others they serve. Furthermore, many Y volunteers hold the opinion that the Y generation should participate more in voluntary work instead of being a home boy or home girl in a world of globalization and digitalization. Vinic Leong, another volunteer, is concerned with the home-bound problem of youths very much. “Many Y kids, especially boys, are addicted to computer games,” Leong commented. “I personally regard the act of playing online games as meaningless and players receive nothing in return.”
Zhou emphasized that that voluntary jobs bring a unique happiness to participants. “I do enjoy voluntary work because I receive abundant love in the process,” Zhou said with a smile. “Whilst the joy of material treasure comes easy, it goes easy at the same time. A spiritual fulfillment is eternal though it comes slowly.” He also called for more Y youths to join the large family of volunteers because they would find their true self in the activities.
Y voluntary work and leadership Both Hong Kong and Macau governments have paid high attention to the voluntary participation issue. Youngsters of generation Y are the focus. Many activities like the Macau Summer Volunteer Program are aimed at training future volunteers and calling more teenagers to join volunteer communities. Hundreds of Y kids were influenced by the activities and many of them have become professional volunteers. The Hong Kong government has made the voluntary contribution one of the most important parts of future leadership. For example,Hong Kong 200, an activity of cultivating future Hong Kong leaders, makes the voluntary work a core part in its leadership training. Given the situation, we believe there would be more Y participants in voluntary jobs in the near future.
Lee also agreed with Leong’s idea. “The voluntary work would strengthen volunteers’ communication skills as well as a good chance for interpersonal bonding. That’s what we, the Y kids, lack. Voluntary jobs can help us to overcome our weaknesses like shyness, nervousness and being tongue-tied.” Lee said that a voluntary experience is of great significance for Y kids. “With the influence of mass media and social media, we have lost many precious things. The Y generation should focus more on voluntary jobs. It can widen our social life, make us fully utilize our spare time after school, and also provide help to the neediest in society.”
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Y Me Beginning of cycling Chu has just finished his university studies in Shanghai. He had many chances to travel around China in the past four years. "My friend and I rented a bike and rode from our university to a subway station once. We spent two hours to get there, but it would take only one hour by bus. As we went to more and more places by bike, I started to feel that I was travelling. So we planned to ride to further places." He and his friends started the journey by riding their own bikes and travelling around Shanghai. They had to spend a lot of time, energy and they might have a meal or drink, doing some errands in destinations, but Chu thought it was worth it. People he met When talking about the people he met in different journeys, his eyes were bright and he looked very excited. Chu took a ride from Shanghai to Nanjing in 2010. He felt grateful that he met a French guy who was also a bike traveler in his first journey. "He had decided to ride from China back to France. He made me full of courage to go to further places," said Chu.
Keith Chu meets a French biker in his first journey.
So, cycling around the Qinghai Lake in Northwest China became his second aim then. In 2011, he achieved this goal with his friends. He met four boys in this journey and became friends with them. Therefore, he has traveled to Qinghai Province for four times. Chu believed that a real journey should include communication, not just taking photos and tasting food. He hoped that he can make some friends who know more local culture and change himself a little bit in every journey.
Travelling by Bike
'We May Not Be Fast'
By Kaka Chio
"Travelling by foot is too slow, the schedule might be limited; travelling by car is too fast, many beautiful landscapes might be neglected. Travelling by bike is something in between. I can control the tempo; when I want to stop, I stop; when I want to go on, I go on. The tempo of the journey is decided by me," said Keith Chu, 22, a bike traveler, who organized a dozen young people in Macao to ride from Beijing to Shanghai in the Chinese New Year 2013.
"Each human being should have a goal!" said Chu. When he talked about the three children he met in EBao, a town of Qinghai, he said that he wouldn't forget them.When he was riding alone along the highway in EBao and his friends were lagging behind him for a long distance, the three children encouraged him and invited him to go to their home for a rest. Chu was alert and refused at the beginning, but it was too hard to resist their invitation, so he followed them finally. Fortunately, the children were very nice.They gave him some water and dried mutton. The children were cousins and assisted the elders to keep a herd. They had never been to other places, nor had they had a plan to go to university. They might live the life in the way that their parents were living. They had no ideas about what their dreams were. "They had nothing, not only in terms of the material but also of the spirit. The remote village life made them have no dreams. I suppose that each person should have a goal at least!" said Chu.
Keith Chu visits Qinghai and meets local friends.
Keith Chu and his fellow cyclists arrive at the border of Shanghai.
Motto Bad weather, hyposthenia or other emergency matters, all of them decided a journey to be successful or not. Chu has encountered all these problems. "You will achieve half of success if you take the first step bravely. The rest is only the insistence." This is his motto. Life influences life Chu teaches in a middle school. He thinks his job is full of "sharing". In addition to teaching students knowledge, he would share his travel experiences with students outside of classrooms, telling them what he saw and encountered in others places. He hopes that his students could consider more about their dreams and lives.
Parts of the photos offered by the interviewee
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Y Me
'All These Did Sound Like a Dream' for Me, But All Came True' By Zoe Wong
cheap air tickets. As she said in her webpage, "I am not from a rich family. I've got all of these by my own effort."
Aim high Beside playing, Leong does set herself goals. She is now working hard to become a Cer tified Public Accountant (CPA). Life does not only consist of playing. It is important to set aims and chase for it. "Work life balance is the most important after all," she said. "Life without a plan means failure."
student to work out such a successful life, it always sounds like a dream. However, you never know what the outcome is if you do not give yourself a chance to try. What Leong did can actually happen to you too. University is a good stage for you to grab chances to experience as much as possible. Generation Y, why not set off to chase your goal now?
Be independent "Personally I used to figure out solutions by myself since I was small." As an elder sister at the home, she tends to make her way out from any obstacles she encounters. You might think that it is impossible for an ordinary
C
overing over 80 cities at the age of 20, she grabbed as many chances as possible to experience the world. She tried travelling alone not even with family and friends. "It's the only thing we buy that can make us richer, in broadening our horizon," she revealed. Joe Leong, a fresh graduate from the Chinese Univer sity of Hong Kong, is a Macao citizen. Born in Macao, she studied in local schools for more than a decade. Like what many other university students are doing nowadays, she fully utilized her summer breaks during her school time, going for trips and learnt from them. As a member of generation Y, she enjoyed different journeys, long or short, far or near, costly or cheap. How could she do it? Work hard Leong is actually a brilliant student, earning scholarships and subsidies from her study. Though not every
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student can have this kind of achievement, but, like most students in the nearby region, she did parttime jobs whenever possible. Set destinations Where did she go? Not long ago, she went to France as an exchange student for half a year. And in the past summer, she went to Portugal as well as the United States. Have the right attitude "Travelling is a kind of attitude towards life!" Not long ago, Leong star ted writing a Facebook page, sharing tips of travelling as well as how to look for
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Y Me
W
Generation Y: e are Confused about Future
By Catherine Lin
W
hen Zhou Yuheng came back to school by his electric bike, he had finished a new round of procurement of fashionable clothing. However, it's not the last task. He still had to select clothes and took photos of the details before uploading the photos to his online store in Taobao. Zhou, who is a Year 4 student of Zhejiang University of Technology, has jointly operated an online store only for three months with his friend, but has obtained a fairly good achievement. "Since I am a Year 4 student, I am facing the problem of either choosing further study or seeking a job," Zhou said. "It's really troublesome. So running an online store may be my temporary choice." Exactly, many students feel confused about the future in the last year of university before graduation since it's a key turning point in life. "While having an exchange program in my third year study in Russia, we students always talked about the future and pondered over whether to study for a master's degree or get into society straight," said Dong Mengfei, a Year 4 student majoring in Russian at Fudan University in Shanghai. "Frankly speaking, confusion about working and fear of entering the 'real world' are the major reasons that I chose to further my study finally. As we make fun of ourselves: graduation means unemployment." Chan I Kiu, a Year 3 student majoring in Chinese Studies of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, said as the graduation approached, she had to make decisions about her future life. "I had an internship of program production in a TV station in the summer holiday and I found that I'm interested in it. However, I don't know if I should take two years to take a master's degree of Film and Television. Actually, I'm not sure if I'm just on a whim."
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"It's true that students who are going to graduate feel anxious about graduation, as they don't know what to do next," said Lei Lai Kei, a staff of the Future Studies and Placement Service of the University of Macau (UM). "For this generation, they have more choices, but meanwhile they are confused and more stressful." "I think it's important that one should consider his/her personality and experience, acquire knowledge and information about future studies and career opportunities, take advice of mentors and parents, and then make plans for one's own life. Don't be afraid, actually you guys have lots of opportunities to do what you want to, even if you find yourself making an unsatisfactory decision. As a saying goes: all roads lead to Rome," Lei added. Li Huiwen, Head of Employment Assistance Depar tment of UM Postgraduate Association, said that confusion is normal for the young generation in society which is full of stress and it is necessary for young people to experience and get more information. "Self-orientation is important," she added. Considering the advice from the two consultants above, Chan still expressed the opinion, "I understand all that, but confusion is still around me. So frustrated!"
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Y Me
E
veryone has his/her dream and wants to achieve his/her goal. However, some dreams are much more difficult to realize. You need to make much more effor ts and spend much more time when you want to go forward or keep it. The nursing profession is one kind of job that has many difficulties and requires persistence to overcome them. "To do what nobody else will do, in a way that nobody else can do, in spite of all we go through; that is what it means to be a nurse," said Rawsi Williams, a famous US registered nurse. Nurses consume and spend a lot of energy and time to treat their patients. They also need to do many assignments and internship while they are under training. It is difficult to keep on performing their roles as a nurse.
YMemorable... Y to be a Nurse?
By Will Wong
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A group of student nurses who are graduating next year are from Kiang Wu Nursing Colleague (KWNC) and Macao Polytechnic Institute (IPM). They share their internship experiences in S. Januario Hospital and Kiang Wu Hospital. "Empathy" is the quality that nurses should keep in mind when they take care of patients. The word empathy means "I understand you" in whatever situation you are in. Nurses should keep their thoughts positive and have critical thinking as well. "A great person is willing to make sacrifice to society and your personal affairs," said Kay Lai and Kelly Chao in unison, two of the student nurses who study in IPM and interpreted the job of nurse in a sentence. "It is an exhausting job but it can bring your warm feeling to your patients," said another two student nurses, Maggie Cheang and Amanda Fong. "An angel with no wings," said by Melia Wong, one of the student nurses who studies in KWNC. "Light others and consume myself" is the line provided by another student nurse, Anna Ng.
Internship Internship is an impor tant stage for most of the nurses before their graduations. They will gain many engraved memories in their minds. During the internship, they might encounter many difficulties and pressures. Normally, an internship can be divided into three shifts: morning shift, afternoon shift and overnight shift. They must
arrive 15 minutes earlier before starting their work. "It was a very unforgettable and disgusting memory when I saw a nurse assist a patient to pull the excretion out without wearing gloves," said Lai. "I was very shocked when I saw a patient suddenly collapsing in the hospital canteen. After a firstaid treatment, the doctor certified him dead," said Chao. "You will feel surprised and warm when you witness a delivery procedure of a new baby," said Cheang.
“Light others and consume myself,� a line provided by Anna Ng.
"For my first impression, I think it's difficult to communicate with mental patients. However, after getting along with your patients, you can interact with them very well," explained Ng. "It's very embarrassing when a male doctor takes care of a female patient in the gynecology ward. He needs to extract some tissue via her vagina for testing," explained Wong.
Difficulties and pressures Difficulties and pressures may come to you when you are working on a big task. Nurses can encounter and have many different tasks in their daily routines.
Student nurses Maggie Cheang, Kelly Chao, Kay Lai and Amada Fong of Polytechnic Institute of Macau (IPM).
"Nurses always raise many questions while they are briefing with us. It's very difficult to answer their questions," said Cheang. "We need to submit daily documents which include targets, evaluations, measurements, reflective reports, case reports and clinical reports after our exhausted work," said Lai. "It's difficult to communicate with doctors and they always neglect you," Ng commented. Although you know that a nurse is a good-paying job in Macao, there are a lot of physical and psychological pressures. There are many barriers and difficulties they need to overcome. Therefore, as you want to realize your dream, you need to put much more effort and give up many things.
Their future career takes place there.
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Y Me
People of Macao text by Chingsin Wong photos by miriashikin
It all started from this photo. Returning to your home country for the first time in four years has this mixed feeling of being a local but also a tourist. Last summer I was in the city centre taking photos of historical architectures but suddenly this stranger was interested to be photographed. Out of curiosity, I approached him and we started talking. This conversation made me realize that we the Y-generation have become preoccupied with the world within our gadgets and losing our abilities to reach out to people around us, physically.
"What are you selling here?" "Nothing, nothing."
Being an expat of three years in Macao, the phrase "Macao is a very small place" is no longer strange to mind. I was told about it during my first day in the university and guaranteed that I'd be bored within three months. It did. But something about this "small place" that makes it feel big, the people. I took the inspiration from the Human's of New York project that was started by a photographer, Brandon Staton with the objective of creating a photographic census of New Yorkers. We live in the comforts of technology and globalization, traveling has become cheaper and some of us have already been around the world before turning 30, we boast to our friends about our cross-continent adventures and the people we acquainted abroad but how many of us do know our neighbors next door?
"My mom told me that I have the potential for modeling. Look Ma, I'm in a magazine!"
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"Can I take a photo of you two?" "(Left) Why? I just want to enjoy my cigarette..." "(Right) Sure why not?"
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Y Me
Meanwhile in Hong Kong.
"Why don't you take a photo of something else? There's nothing interesting with my shrimps and me anyway."
"We're from Hong Kong and our final shoot will be in the Venetian, but we want to be tourists too!"
"I'm going home for lunch now. Are you done yet?"
(Right) "I've been doing break-dancing for about a year now." (Left) "I just started two weeks ago."
(Far left, on street donations) "I'm just helping these guys since it's their first time doing this and they're quite shy."
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"A photo of me? I have no teeth. Just joking."
"Oh you should have come earlier, we had more stuff in display."
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Y Me
Nobel Prize winner Albert Camus is quoted, “Youth is above all a collection of possibilities.”
“When I was your age, I could already...” The sentence I often heard whenever my mother is about to lecture me. As time goes by, society changes. We don’t have to suffer from wars or poverty anymore in Macao. We live a rich materialistic lifestyle which distinguishes us the post-90 generation differently from the elder generations. How different are we? And how elder people perceive us the post-90s? I asked several people randomly on the streets, and found, (sort of expectedly) that most of them have negative impressions towards the post-90s. They refused formal interviews but were eager to give their opinions. The common points they made were encapsulated in the following opinion: the post-90s were “dependent, spoiled and a bit self-centered”. Mr. Pou, a 50-year-old clerk, said many post-90s were spoiled by their parents and became dependent due to the reason that most of them are the “only child” in the family. “Comparatively, the post-80s and earlier generations can learn to take responsibilities by taking care of their siblings.”
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Old enerations ive Us
G
Grades
By CK Lao
To my understanding we are easy to be “spoiled” because we live an easier life, as compared to the older generations. Our parents spoiled us because they wanted to provide us with protection and better conditions, which were what they lacked in their childhood. I, myself, sometimes got excused from doing housework and was told to focus on my studies. What about self-centeredness? Are we all that? In my personal experience, I think people sometimes think less of others. For example, students applied to join certain activities in the university; however, some would have no-show in the activities without notifying anybody. “They overestimated themselves and didn’t care about others,” a staff at
University of Macau shared his point. As a Chinese saying goes, “It is unfair to tar all the post-90s with the same brush”. Mr. Lam, a preacher, said, “Sometimes the post90s ignore others or are self-centered simply because they want to exploit their talents and prove themselves.” He also mentioned that they (the post-90s) are quite creative and they should be given more encouragements and taught how to help others.
ties.” The older generations might have negative impressions of us, yet I believe that we are more than that. We are individuals, we are different. We are indefinite definitions of the post-90 generation.
A lot of the post-90s are actually quite hard working and willing to help others. Mrs. Ieong, a social welfare worker said, “Many college students of the post-90s always volunteered in my social welfare organization.” Nobel Prize winner Albert Camus is quoted, “Youth is above all a collection of possibili-
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Paul, Lai Chong Wa
懶惰是魔鬼。 Laziness is the devil.
The Bigger His Dream, The Wider His Arena By Henry Lei
Date of birth:
Excellent achievement: 2007: • Second-runner up, Hong Kong and Macao Mathematical Olympiad Open Contest 2009: • First-runner up, Hong Kong and Macao Mathematical Olympiad Open Contest • Second Prize, Macao Schools Mathematical Contest
1997/09/02
Career:
2010: • Champion, Hong Kong and Macao Mathematical Olympiad Open Contest • Second Prize, Sixth APC International Mathematics Competition • Second Prize, the 15th National Hua Luo Geng Youth Mathematics Competition
Student, Pui Ching Middle school
Outstanding talent: Mathematics
Unforgettable moment:
2011: • Third Prize, the 22nd National Hope Cup Mathematical Contest • Gold award, Hong Kong and Macao Mathematical Olympiad Open Contest • First Prize, Macau Schools Mathematical Contest • Bronze metal(individual), Indonesia International Mathematic Competition • Second runner up (team), Indonesia International Mathematic Competition • Gold medal (individual), World Mathematics Team Competition
Biography:
2012: • Second Prize, the 23rd National Hope Cup Mathematical Contest • Champion, Team Contest, Macao Schools Mathematical Contest • Gold award, Hong Kong and Macao Mathematical Olympiad Open Contest • Bronze metal, International Mathematics Competition, Taipei • First Prize, Macao Schools Mathematical Contest
He remembered that there was an amazing moment in one awarding ceremony. He was disappointed that he didn’t hear his name in any list of prizes. Yet, he got the championship in that competition and he felt incredibly excited.
His interest in mathematics started when he was in primary school. Later, he transferred to Pui Ching Middle School (Pui Ching) and began his journey in mathematics. In Pui Ching, he received a series of strict practices so that he could attain today’s achievement.
2013: • Champion, Hong Kong and Macao Mathematical Olympiad Open Contest • First Prize, Macao Schools Mathematical Contest • Second Prize, the 24th National Hope Cup Mathematical Contest
Expectation:
Lai likes chemistry and physics very much so he wants to have further studies. He also hopes to reach some achievements in these two subjects.
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Parts of the photos offered by the interviewee
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